Cruella's Spear
by Phyren Ice
Summary: A prick to her finger from an artifact in Gold's shop causes Emma to believe that Storybrooke and it's fairytale characters are nothing more than an elaborate hallucination created by her mind as a mental patient that has been catatonic for the past five years. Loosely based on BtVS 6x17 Normal Again. Swan Queen. Strong T rating.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello everyone! So a "crazy" thing happened. I had this idea pop in my head one day and I thought to myself, 'Hey! I'm pretty sure Buffy had an episode like that.' So I buzz through Buffy shows and sure enough I found it. So this has now become loosely based on BtVS 6x17 Normal Again. Also, I reference the Trilogy of Terror doll. If you've never seen this short television movie from the seventies, you need to go watch it (it's on YouTube). It's part three titled "Amelia" where she purchases this Zuni doll and it comes to life and attacks her. In all honesty, I have never laughed so hard in my life as I do when I watch this movie. Does that say something about me, probably, but I grew up on horror films so they don't really have an effect on me...except clowns. Clowns frighten me. There is nothing funny about them. **

**Cruella De Vil hasn't been brought to Storybrooke yet and since she is one of my favorite villains, I'm taking this opportunity to tell her own unique and twisted story. **

**Takes place after the welcome home party at Granny's Diner from 2x10 The Cricket Game. Complete AU from there.**

**WARNING: Mentions of miscarriage, rape, and ECT treatment. If any of this is a trigger or bothers you in any shape or form, DO NOT READ!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in Once Upon A Time or Trilogy of Terror, I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. **

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_What do we any of us have but our illusions? And what do we ask of others but that we be allowed to keep them? ~W. Somerset Maugham_

**_~Cruella's Spear~_**

Emma settled onto the couch in Mary Margaret's apartment and stretched her long legs over the side. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but she's slept on far worse. She could hear her parents talking in the bedroom nearby and the creaking of Henry shifting around in her bedroom upstairs. The place was just too small for their four-membered family and new arrangements would have to be made very soon.

The party at Granny's was a nice comfort after spending what felt like eternity in the damaged, ogre-infested land of the Enchanted Forest. She was glad to see Regina had accepted her invite, even if it was a little awkward for everyone else, but Emma didn't care; if it wasn't for Regina she would've been stuck in that crazy make believe world or worse, would've been killed by the magical death trap that Gold put on the wishing well.

She was shocked at first when Henry told her that it was the mayor they had to thank for saving them, but Emma didn't believe this kinder, less manipulative Regina existed until she exchanged words with her outside the diner earlier that evening. She replayed the scene several times in her mind and still couldn't believe the apology, the watery eyes, the genuine smile, and the gratitude. Had Regina been like that when Emma first arrived in Storybrooke, they're relationship might've taken a very different turn.

The sheriff flipped to her side and shuffled around on the couch until she bit her lower lip to keep from crying out when she felt a sudden, sharp pain. Pulling her hand out from under her, she gazed upon the little blood blister that had formed on her index finger. For such a little pinprick, it sure caused her a lot of discomfort. She scoffed at her stupidity in how she had received it the day before.

_Emma watched as Gold walked away from her, leaving her to stand alone in the main showroom after basically telling her she had magic and agreed that she was nothing more than a puppet in the whole dark curse scheme. Clenching her hands into fists, she walked the length of the room to cool off before joining everyone else in the back. It was then-as she observed all the crazy items that Gold housed-that she noticed a warrior doll standing on the shelf in the corner. It reminded her of the crazy Zuni doll that attacked the woman in the cheesy cult movie that her one foster moms used to watch repeatedly and she chuckled at the thought of it. The spear it held looked surprisingly real and like a moth to a flame, she reached out and tapped her finger on it to see if it was as sharp as it looked. She yelped when it pierced her skin before she quickly brought the injured digit to her mouth and sucked on it to staunch the small flow of blood it had created. She silently scolded herself as she glared at the doll before she headed towards the backroom to join her family and friends. _

"Smooth move, idiot," Emma mumbled to herself as she stared at the little red dot before she repositioned herself and drifted off to sleep.

"Emma? Can you hear me?"

The savior blinked against the harsh light that was forcibly shined into both of her eyes in turn as she squinted to try and focus on who was calling out her name. A man she didn't recognize stood before her in a white doctor's lab coat and she couldn't help but flinch away from him. Her back slammed against a wall and she realized she was on the floor and tucked in the corner of some hospital room.

"Where am I? How did I get here?" Emma questioned the man before her.

"My name is Dr. Palmer, but you know that already. You are at the Bangor Mental Health Institute, where you've been for the past five years."

"W-what?!" Emma stammered. "I'm not crazy! I'm just, I'm dreaming that's all."

"I'm afraid not. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?"

Emma gazed down and took in her comfy sweatpants and long-sleeved t-shirt she was wearing. It seemed fitting for a mental ward, but it wasn't something she would normally wear. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on the couch in Mary Margaret's cramped apartment.

"This is just a dream. I fell asleep on the couch so this has to be a dream," Emma reiterated.

"Do you feel like you are in a dream right now?" The doctor pressed.

"What else would it be?! I went to sleep and appeared here so yeah, it's a dream."

The blonde closed her eyes and tried to will herself to wake up, but after a couple of minutes she was disappointed to find that she was still in the hospital room.

"Wake up, damn it…wake up," She chanted under her breath.

"How about we get you back into bed and I let your family know that you're coherent. They've missed you terribly and this is the first time you've been interactive since you were brought in," Dr. Palmer explained as he reached a hand out to her.

Emma allowed herself to be lifted off the floor and she settled on the edge of the single bed that adorned the room before the doctor left her side.

She could smell her sweat mixed with a faint odor of cheap soap that clung to her body; she could feel the brittle, unkempt hair upon her head as she combed her fingers through it; she could taste the metallic flavor of medicine and staleness on her tongue. It was all a little too real for her liking and she hoped she would wake up soon from this nightmare.

"Emma, your wife is here to see you," Dr. Palmer announced as he reentered the room.

"My _wife_?" she questioned in disbelief. It wasn't that she had anything against dating women, but she hadn't referred to anyone as a boyfriend or a girlfriend in a long time; not since Neal had broken her heart and left her. But a spouse? Marriage was one thing that Emma swore she would never allow to happen to herself. The idea of being tied down to someone meant you couldn't escape.

The doctor waved someone over before he smiled. "Yes, your wife. She's come to be a good friend to the staff, seeing as how she visits you every day. Luckily she came to visit you early today or she would've missed this chance to see you awake. She's been waiting a long time for this moment."

The fair-haired woman shifted nervously as she listened to the staccato rhythm of approaching heels until a very familiar figure stepped into the doorway and greeted her.

"Emma," the brunette greeted as her eyes filled with moisture. "Are you really here with us?"

"Regina?" Emma stated in shock.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me," Regina praised before she crossed the threshold and enveloped the blonde into her arms in a tight hug. "I've missed you so much. All these years…"

Emma stayed rigid at the intimate contact for a moment before she offered a one-armed hug in return as the older woman started to sob onto her shoulder. The entire situation was suddenly too overwhelming to deal with and she felt exhausted from it all.

"I'm tired, Regina," Emma mumbled against the brunette's collarbone.

The older woman pulled back and cupped the blonde's face lovingly. "It's so good to have you back. Please, don't ever leave me again."

"Okay, but I need to sleep now," Emma sluggishly replied before her eyelids slipped shut of their own accord.

"Emma? Emma!"

The sheriff's eyes burst open as she fumbled to get up, which caused her to land unceremoniously in a heap on the floor beside the couch.

"Goodness Emma, are you alright?" Mary Margaret asked in concern as she scooted around the couch and checked on her daughter.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. I just had a weird dream and it kinda freaked me out," she gave as an explanation. "You scared me when you woke me up."

"I'm sorry, but you seemed upset. Plus you were mumbling Regina's name, so I thought you were having a nightmare," Mary Margaret replied.

Emma's eyes widened a little. "I said her name? Did I say anything else?"

The brunette shook her head. "No, just Regina and then some gibberish that I couldn't make heads or tails of. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Is Henry still asleep?"

Snow quirked an eyebrow. "No, David took him to school about an hour ago."

"An hour ago?! Damn it! I didn't plan to sleep in," she grumbled.

"It's alright Emma, it's taken care of. David and Henry seemed to have bonded in our absence and to be honest, I just woke up myself not too long ago. I guess the lack of sleep we had while we were in the Enchanted Forest finally caught up to us. Would you like some breakfast? I can make you something."

"No, I'm just gonna go take a shower and head to the station. I want to try to get back into the swing of things, normal routine if you can call it that," Emma responded before she made a beeline for the bathroom.

Mary Margaret watched her disappear with slight concern before she shrugged it off and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

Emma spent most of the day just sitting in her office with her feet propped up on the desk while she stared absentmindedly into space. The dream was nagging at her brain and she couldn't shake how real it felt. Even Regina felt incredibly real, from the smell of her perfume to the silkiness of her hair that tickled her face.

David had stopped by to return the sheriff's badge to her and to see how she was doing. They made small chitchat before they came to an agreement that he would be deputy and continue to work there. He offered to go get Henry from school, which she agreed to, and he told her to try to be home for dinner before he left the station.

It felt strange to have people care about her, nonetheless to discover she had parents. The idea was foreign to her and as much as she cared about Mary Margaret and David, she couldn't help but rebel against their neediness to bond with her, especially with them being almost the same age. She knew it would take some time, but she also had to deal with being a mother herself, which scared her even more. She still felt guilty that she took him away from his real mother that raised him from infancy, but she had to keep Henry safe and at the moment she couldn't trust the Madame Mayor.

At least not yet.

Emma gazed at the clock on the wall and realized she had wasted a whole day doing nothing. She sighed as she got to her feet and made her way home just in time for quickly shed her coat and boots before she took her seat at the dining table.

Henry chatted animatedly about his horse while they ate together as a family before he and his grandfather headed upstairs to work on his homework together. Emma wordlessly picked up a dish towel and started to dry the dishes as her mother washed them.

"You were pretty quiet during dinner, more so than usual. Everything okay?" Mary Margaret had asked Emma as she handed her a plate.

"Hard to get a word in edgewise with the kid's motor mouth," the savior joked as she put away the plate before she loudly yawned. "I know I slept in today, but I'm still really exhausted. I don't feel like I got any sleep at all last night."

"Well, I'm sure sleeping on the couch doesn't help. We need to find a bigger place to live."

Emma nodded in answer, but she still wasn't sure about the whole living together arrangement. If she had it her way, she'd stay at the apartment with Henry while her parents found a new place, but she wasn't ready to let that little tidbit slip from her mouth and disappoint her new-found parents.

After the dishes were done and everything was cleaned up, the sheriff settled on the couch and watched TV. She swore she just closed her eyes for a second, but she knew almost immediately that she was no longer in Mary Margaret's apartment.

Cracking her eyes open, she discovered with horror that she was back in that hospital room, lying in bed alone with voices arguing just outside the door. One voice she recognized immediately and she felt a hint of relief wash over her.

"Regina?" She called out before she cleared her dry throat and raised her volume. "Regina!"

The door swung open and her relieved spouse came rushing in.

"Oh Sweetheart, thank God you're awake again," the brunette praised as she sat beside Emma and pulled her frail body against her side.

"What's happening? Why am I here?"

Blue-green eyes locked with chestnut orbs. "Do you remember anything?"

Emma shook her head.

Dr. Palmer approached the unoccupied side of the bed before he sat down. "Emma, do you remember your other life?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?"

Regina cupped her face and smiled. "Let's start with something simple. Do you know me as your wife or as the evil queen and mayor of Storybrooke?"

Emma sucked in a sharp breath before she pulled away from the brunette's grasp. "Is this some kind of warped trick of the mind? Some spell you cast over me?"

The blonde watched Regina's expression falter slightly and she almost felt bad for being cold towards her, but if this was some sort of new game that Regina or Gold were playing just to fuck with her, she wasn't going to allow something as simple as her supposed wife's tears try to break her.

"Emma, you were brought here by your wife almost five years ago. You were suffering from undifferentiated schizophrenia due to two traumatic events happening closely together in your life. It caused your body to shut down and protect itself and by doing that, your mind created a whole new world," Dr. Palmer explained. "You were catatonic for years, but today is the first day that you not only started talking, but became aware of your surroundings. This is a huge step for you, Emma, but you still have a long road to recovery."

The blonde woman listened intently to the doctor as she tried to ignore the other woman who was fighting off tears beside her. Unable to stop herself, she turned to Regina and clamped down the bitterness she felt for the beautiful woman, who appeared so vulnerable, unlike the woman she knew. It was eerie to see the mayor's clone looking at her with such adoration, but at the same time it felt right somehow. Knowing it was only a dream, she decided to play along for now until she had some answers. Boldly reaching out, she took the brunette's hand into her own to show she was sorry for her hurtful accusation before she turned back to the doctor.

"I need answers in order to make sense of all this," Emma clarified. "Basically what you're trying to tell me is that the world I live in or think I live in is fake, made up by my own imagination?"

"Yes, but it's more than just your imagination. You're entire being and mind believe it to the point that it feels as real as this place does right now; maybe even more so."

"But how do I know that this isn't the made up reality and the reality I thought I was living in was in fact the real one?"

Dr. Palmer furrowed his brows before he understood and nodded. "You don't. It's up to you to figure out what is real and what isn't."

"How will I know? What if I choose wrong?"

"You'll know, Emma. You have to believe in yourself to know what is made up and what isn't."

The blonde sighed before she gazed upon Regina's smiling face. "This may seem like a weird question, but I need to know. Where is Henry? Does he even exist here?"

Emma watched the other woman's eyes widen in horror before tears started to trickle down her face. She squeezed the blonde's hand as she sniffled back on choked sobs before she turned to Dr. Palmer with a pleading look.

"Emma," Dr. Palmer started to get her attention. "Henry is one of the reasons you became, well he was one of the events that triggered your condition."

The blonde turned back to the brunette and frowned. "Where's Henry? Regina, where is he?!"

Watery dark eyes locked with emerald orbs. "He died before he had a chance to live."

"What?!" Emma roared as she jumped from the bed and placed her back against the wall. "What do you mean? What do you mean by that?!"

Emma saw the doctor out of her peripheral vision head for the door, but her eyes remained locked on Regina. The brunette wept as she reached a desperate hand out towards her.

"You miscarried, Emma. You had a miscarriage and our baby boy was too young to survive. You were only six months pregnant," Regina explained between sobs.

"No! No, Henry's alive and is beautiful and energetic," the younger woman responded as she pushed herself deeper into the corner of the room. "This isn't real! Henry's alive and this is just a horrible nightmare!"

Regina got up and briskly made her way to the blonde's side. "Emma, fairy tales aren't real; they're just fictional stories. I realize that you probably created Storybrooke in order to give our son a chance to live out the life he would've had, but it's time to come home to me now. This is reality, not there. Please Sweetheart, we could always try to have children again someday."

Emma moved away from the other woman as she backed herself further against the wall. "No! This isn't real! You're the Evil Queen and this is all a lie! You somehow used magic on me and you're making me think I'm crazy so that you can take my son away from me!"

Regina stumbled backwards as she continued to cry before Dr. Palmer and two orderlies rushed into the room and surrounded Emma. Her jaded eyes landed on the syringe in the doctor's hand and she started to panic.

"Get away from me! I'm not crazy! This is just a dream!"

"Emma, you need to calm down. This is just a sedative," Dr. Palmer explained as the orderlies grabbed her and held her down.

"No! Get off me! Get off me!" Emma screamed before she felt the needle puncture her upper arm.

Her eyes slipped closed as the drugs entered her bloodstream and everything fell black until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You're not real! Get away from me!" the savior shouted out before her eyes popped open and she realized she was on the couch once again with a startled David kneeling beside her.

"Hey, it's just me," David consoled. "I heard your soft cries and I tried to wake you up."

The sheriff took a cleansing breath before she sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. "It felt so real."

"You wanna talk about it?" David offered.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not."

He yawned before he gently patted her knee and stood up. "I realize our situation is a bit awkward, but I'm here if you need me or want to talk."

"I know, I just need some time," Emma responded as she watched her father accept her answer before he silently returned to bed.

She remained huddled on the couch and let what had happened replay over and over in her mind. It was all too surreal but what effected her most was when Regina talked about the miscarriage, images of it happening flashed through her mind. Like a dream within a dream, she saw the blood saturating her pants, felt the excruciating pain in her abdomen, and saw Regina crying hysterically beside her as they held their tiny, lifeless son to say their last goodbyes.

Emma wiped at the tears streaming down her face before she rubbed her arms against the chilled air of the apartment. She startled when her hand brushed a particularly sensitive spot and her brows wrinkled in confusion as she tried to recall what she had bruised her arm on. Making her way quietly to the bathroom, she blinked against the harsh light until her vision adjusted to the brighter room. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she grimaced at the dark circles that surrounded her eyes before she twisted her body to inspect her arm. She noticed a small puncture wound with slight bruising around it and her expression shifted to one of disbelief as she realized that it was exactly where Dr. Palmer had jabbed the needle in the supposed dream world.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews! **

**Happy reading :)**

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Emma held her head up in one hand as she swirled the index finger of her other hand in her hot cocoa's cinnamon-coated whipped cream. Henry was sitting across from her in the booth at Granny's Diner eating his breakfast quietly for once. He realized his birth mother had been exhausted since her return and decided she just needed some time to come around.

"I'm heading out. See you after school?" Henry questioned as he waited for a response from the woman across from him. "Emma, did you hear me?"

The sheriff snapped to attention before she smiled at her son. "You want me to walk you?"

"I'm eleven; I can walk myself to the bus stop."

"Okay, be careful."

Henry rolled his eyes before he slung his school bag over his shoulders and left. Emma went back to day dreaming when the all too familiar sound of expensive heeled shoes clicked their way across the tiled floor and towards her direction. Lifting her eyes, the room shifted and she was suddenly in the hospital room looking at the saddened face of the alternate Regina. She shook her head side to side and blinked her eyes furiously, but every time she opened them she was still in that hospital room sitting on the bed and facing her wife.

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real," Emma repeated in a mantra under her breath while she squeezed her eyes tightly shut as her body rocked front to back.

"Miss Swan, are you feeling alright?"

Emma took a chance to peek her eyes open and to her utter relief she was back in the diner with the mayor glaring down at her with a small hint of concern.

"Thank you," the savior breathed out as she released the grip she had on the table that she apparently took while she was trying to come back.

"For what?"

The younger woman realized she had thanked Regina out loud and she blushed slightly before she shrugged. "Long story…never mind."

"Not to sound rude, Sheriff Swan, but you look like hell," the brunette observed.

A bubble of laughter escaped the blonde's lips before she nodded in agreement. "I know I do, but thanks for the reminder. Are you here for something?"

Emma watched the older woman shift nervously before their eyes met. "I was wondering if it would be alright for me to pick up Henry from school today. I'd like to take him shopping for a new winter jacket and have dinner with him afterwards."

Instinct made the sheriff want to rebel against the brunette, but she saw the changes happening before her eyes and felt Regina deserved to spend some time with her son. After all, who was Emma to deny her the right to see the son that she herself gave up?

"Yeah, that's fine," Emma replied.

The bright grin that beamed across the evil queen's features seemed to momentarily blind Emma. The savior couldn't stop the thought of how beautiful the brunette looked when she smiled and that she needed to do it more often.

"You're welcome to join us for dinner at my house. I'm making baked ziti," Regina offered.

Emma smiled. "Thank you, but I think I'm going to try resting for a bit. I haven't been sleeping well since we've returned."

"I can see that," Regina mused. "I'll drop Henry off later tonight, if that is alright with you?"

"That's fine. Bring him over whenever you like."

"Thank you, Miss Swan," she responded in a sincere tone.

"No problem; he's your son after all."

The brunette offered a genuine smile before she departed. Taking a hardy sip of her now lukewarm cocoa, Emma slapped some money on the table and left the diner. Deciding to walk instead of drive, she leisurely made her way to the sheriff's station. Crossing the street, she entered the building and opened the door, but a flash of light momentarily blinded her and she paused inside the threshold until she regained her vision. When her eyes refocused, she saw with horror that she was once again in the hospital room with Regina sitting next to her and Dr. Palmer with his pen light in his hand.

"Emma, you need to stay with us," Dr. Palmer ordered softly as he moved to the foot of her bed.

A soft caress touched her cheek and she offered a half smirk to the woman she has come to know as her wife. "You have a beautiful smile," Emma complimented, feeling confident in telling this world's Regina what she could never tell the Storybrooke Regina.

"And you're drugged," the brunette replied with a hint of humor that didn't quite reach her anguished gaze.

The younger woman found it odd that she could actually feel the effects of the drug in her system and she fought hard to try to snap out of it in order to focus on returning to Storybrooke.

"Emma, I'm so sorry I told you about Henry. I should've known you wouldn't have taken it well," the brunette apologized.

"It's okay, you were just being honest with me," Emma countered lazily as she felt her eyelids droop. "Sorry I called you the evil queen."

The savior's head lulled forward as her eyes closed briefly before something hard slammed into her, causing her to look up and realize she had just crashed into her father's muscled frame which sent both of them sprawling to the floor.

"Ow! David, what the hell!" Emma snapped as she rubbed her forehead.

Charming sat up and rubbed the spot where Emma's head had collided with his. "I was about to ask you the same thing, kid. I didn't even see you there. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Emma looked around and realized she had literally zoned out while standing. This alternate dream world was beginning to interfere with her during her waking hours and that couldn't be a good thing. Getting to her feet, she helped her father back up and brushed off her clothes.

"I uh, I'm not feeling well so I'm just gonna head back to the apartment and try to sleep. Regina is picking Henry up from school and spending time with him before she drops him off later tonight. Can you pass that along to Mary Margaret so she doesn't have a panic attack?"

"Sure Emma, I can do that. Listen, are you sure about Regina…"

"Yes, I'm sure David," she replied curtly as she cut him off. "She would never hurt Henry and he is her son, regardless of how fucked up everything is. Promise me you and Mare won't cause any problems with her?"

"Okay," he promised. "Your mother and I were planning to go out tonight anyway so you'll have the place to yourself. Get some of that much needed rest you need before the kid gets home."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Emma responded with a forced smile. Deep down, she felt a little worried about being alone with no one to wake her up, but she refused to fess up to it. "I'll see you guys later."

Emma kicked off her boots the minute she entered the apartment and stumbled in a zombie-like trance towards her parent's bedroom. She had planned to go upstairs to her bedroom since Henry wouldn't be home, but it was too far of a walk. She also figured she wouldn't be able to hear Henry come home from up there.

The sheriff barely curled up under the covers and closed her eyes when she felt the soft touch of her wife's hands upon her face. It was peculiar how easy it was for her to see Regina as her wife in this alternate reality while she still somewhat loathed the real Regina back home. The truth was, she always had a small crush on the beautiful queen, but there was no way that would ever come to fruition in Storybrooke, but in her dream world, they were married which gave her a wide berth to act upon her fantasy crush with the brunette.

Gazing up into chocolate orbs, Emma couldn't resist pulling Regina's palm to her lips and pressing a soft kiss on it before sitting up.

"How do you feel?" the brunette questioned.

"Not so druggy," Emma replied before she realized they were alone. "Where's the doctor?"

"He stepped out for a minute to talk with August before he comes in here to see you."

"August is here?" the blonde questioned in confusion.

"Of course, your brother visits about as often as I do," Regina explained.

"My brother?! As in close friend, always have my back kind of brother or as in actual blood-related siblings?"

Regina quirked an eyebrow before she realized the reasoning behind the question. "Right, I forgot that you think he came through a magical wardrobe with you as Pinocchio."

"Thanks for making me sound crazy," Emma quipped before she realized where she was and laughed. "Well that was the dumbest statement of the year."

The brunette offered a small smile. "I'm sorry; it's still hard to get a grip on all those tales that your mind had created. It's actually quite fascinating if you think about it, even if you made me the villain."

Emma blushed furiously before she dropped her head to hide her face. "I'm sorry, Regina; I really don't know how to respond to that."

"It's alright, Dear," she responded before she placed a finger under Emma's chin to lift her head. "I've come to terms with it. I realized over the years that you really had no control over what part we played in your other world."

The door suddenly opened and Dr. Palmer walked in with none other than August himself. The man's face broke out into a huge grin at seeing her awake before he went to her side and engulfed her into his strong arms.

"Oh little sister, I can't tell you how happy I am to see you!" August praised as he crushed her against his chest.

"Can't…breathe," Emma gasped out before he pulled back and offered a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, I forgot how fragile you are."

"Fragile," Emma scoffed. "I am not fragile."

August and Regina shared a brief look before he bumped her shoulder playfully. "There's the old spitfire we remember."

"I'm going to leave you three to talk," Dr. Palmer explained. "You guys know the protocol and how to get a hold of me if need be. Enjoy your visit."

The three watched the doctor exit the room before two sets of eyes turned back to Emma. She felt her cheeks burn crimson at the attention she was receiving before she started nervously tucking her hair behind her ears. Regina noted the change immediately and she interlaced her fingers with Emma's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but you have no idea how happy August and I are right now," Regina offered.

The blonde accepted the brunette's statement and she gazed between the two of them. She knew she shouldn't divulge into this alternate realm, but she couldn't help the overwhelming curiosity she felt as to what the details of her life were in this realistic dream. Learning about Henry and reliving the miscarriage was difficult, but she figured nothing could be worse than that.

She would come to realize just how wrong she was.

"I know I reacted badly to the news of Hen…my miscarriage, but would you guys be able to fill me in on my life?" Emma pleaded.

"Sure Em," August reasoned as he ignored the warning glare from Regina. "What would you like to know?"

"We're really siblings?"

"Yup. Same loving parents," August answered with a smirk.

"Tell me about them," she inquired and she didn't miss the silent communication between her wife and brother. "Are they alive?"

August shook his head. "No, they died in a car accident when we were just kids."

Memories flooded Emma's mind and she saw a police man kneeling down and talking to her while her brother cried in the background.

"I was young…five?" she guessed.

"Six actually and I had just turned twelve."

"Do you have a picture? I need to see their faces," the blonde probed anxiously. "I can't remember what they looked like."

Regina kissed her hand as she flashed a concerned look. "Emma, are you sure about this?"

"I promise I won't freak out…at least I'll try not to," she reasoned. "I'm just trying to make sense of everything."

August looked to Regina for permission and she offered a slight nod in answer. Digging into his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet and retrieved an old worn out photograph. He gazed at it lovingly for a moment before he handed it over to his little sister.

Emma looked down at the two smiling faces and gasped in shock before she traced her fingertips gently over their profiles. There was no mistaking who they were from Storybrooke. "It's David and Mary Margaret."

"Yes, that was their names," August clarified. "I always loved that picture of them. I snapped it on one of our Disney vacation trips. Dad had let me have responsibility of the camera that year and I felt like I was given the keys to my own castle."

"They look so happy," Emma murmured. "How old were we on this trip?"

"I was ten and you were four."

The blonde felt the moisture gather in her eyes as she continued to stare at the picture. "They died together; it's very fitting for them."

She handed the picture back to him before she collapsed into Regina's arms. The brunette stroked her hair as she soothingly rocked her side to side while August allowed them the private moment. After a few minutes, Emma pulled away and wiped at her tear-streaked face.

"I'm sorry, it's just hard to face these things. It all feels new and fresh to me," Emma tried to explain. "It's like I'm seeing these memories for the first time."

"If it makes you feel any better, I still cry over them to this day," August confessed. "So now that we got that out of the way, what else would you like to know?"

"How about something positive," Emma offered before she turned to Regina. "Like how you and I became a couple?"

The blonde watched in fascination as the brunette blushed furiously. August's laughter only added heat to her already painted cheeks and now Emma really wanted to know their story.

"Come on, Gina...tell me," Emma begged.

A brilliant smile flashed across the older woman's face. "You called me Gina. I haven't heard you call me that in such a long time."

Emma realized that she had in fact called her Gina and confusion crossed her features. She never would call Storybrooke Regina by that nickname, so why did it seem so right and pop out of her mouth like it was the most natural word to say to the brunette?

"You're remembering, Emma! This is so wonderful!" Regina praised before she leaned in and captured the other woman's lips with her own.

Panic momentarily struck her at having those soft lips touching hers until she melted into it and returned the kiss with fervor. Pure adrenaline mixed with passion and want rushed through her body and down her spine. When they finally broke apart, Emma noted how dark her wife's chestnut orbs had turned and she was sure her own eyes had turned a jaded green in response.

"Oh man, I forgot how mushy you two were!" August blanched as he ruined the mood between them.

Emma playfully swatted at him, which knocked him off balance and he fell to the floor with a thud. All three of them bellowed out in laughter and the blonde realized she hadn't felt this good in so long. A yawn suddenly escaped her and Regina patted her leg before standing up.

"You should take a nap. It's been a very adventurous day for you. August and I need to speak with the doctor before we go grab something to eat. Would you like me to bring you anything?"

"A burger and fries would be great," Emma responded with a grin.

"I can arrange that," the brunette replied before she leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to Emma's lips. "See you in a bit."

Emma curled down under her blankets as she watched August and Regina leave her room. She had to admit she was pretty drained, but one would think that if this had in fact been real, five years of a catatonic state would be more than enough rest.

_What if this world is the real deal and I've been living a lie?_ Emma thought to herself. No, she couldn't think like that.

_But this isn't the first time you've been committed. What if you never left? What if you did leave, but because of the loss of Henry you fell into old habits._

Emma sat up and curled into herself as sleep was no longer an option. She placed her head on her knees as she thought about the possibility that she might actually be crazy and Storybrooke was nothing but a made up world from her own damaged mind.

"They are fairy tales," she mumbled out loud. "Why would I believe they actually exist?"

Anxiety slowly ebbed its way into her consciousness and she truly started to question her own reality. Evil queens and dragons and fairies weren't real, an argument she continued to have with her son for months until she finally succumbed to the idealization that it could be tangible.

"The imagination can make anything look real, including magic," Emma snapped, suddenly angry at herself for even thinking fairy tales were real.

She started to feel the exhaustion settle back in until she couldn't fight it any longer. Tucking herself back down under the covers she had one final thought before she drifted off to sleep.

_Storybrooke was all a lie._


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying this story! Thank you for the favs, follows, and reviews! **

**Trigger warning: mentions of sexual assault and cutting in this chapter, but it doesn't go into detail. **

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Regina and Henry had a wonderful evening together, so much so that she almost forgot that he didn't live with her anymore. After packing up his belongings, the mayor reluctantly drove him over to Mary Margaret's apartment. She was internally grateful to see that Snow's vehicle was gone which hopefully meant Emma was home alone.

Henry used his key to open the door and noted how dark the place was. He quickly flipped on some lights before he motioned for his mother to enter. She paused for a moment as she considered turning around and leaving, but her son's hopeful gaze had her crossing over the threshold before Henry quickly shut the door behind her.

"Emma? Are you home?" Henry called out, but was surprised to receive no answer. "I'll check upstairs," Henry stated to his mother before he bolted up the steps and disappeared, leaving Regina to stand alone in her enemy's apartment.

A sound to her left caught her attention and she made her way over to what she knew was Mary Margaret's bedroom. She internally groaned while she prayed that it wasn't the Charming's as she pulled back the curtain and looked in.

A breath of relief escaped her when she realized it was only Emma before her features darkened in slight anger. The sheriff should've gotten enough sleep by now and she needed to wake up to take care of their son.

"Henry, she's down here!" Regina called out, hoping her volume would rudely awaken the blonde, but to her dismay, she didn't even budge.

Feet trudged down the steps before they patted to Regina's side. The brunette looked over at her son and smiled with a glint of mischief sparkling in her russet orbs.

"Why don't you wake up Miss Swan the way you have awoken me on Christmas morning for the past five years," Regina challenged.

A giant grin crossed his features before he clambered onto the bed. Careful not to step on his fair-haired mother, he started to jump up and down repetitively.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Henry chanted over and over.

The brunette couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out at her son's antics, but soon she started to frown when Emma remained asleep. Surely by now she would've woken up; no one sleeps that heavily. With a growing concern for the savior that she couldn't comprehend, Regina grabbed Henry's arm and gently pulled him down off the bed.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Henry asked when his mother went to Emma's side. "Is she okay?"

Regina ignored her son's questions as she did a quick assessment of the other woman. Seeing no immediate signs of sickness or danger, she patted Emma's cheek with her hand.

"Emma, wake up," Regina commanded. "This is no time to play games, Miss Swan; wake up!"

Blue-green eyes snapped open and the older woman noted how they had softened when they focused in on her face.

"Regina," Emma murmured softly as she stretched her body and yawned.

"Emma! Thank God you're okay. I was beginning to think you were under a sleeping curse," Henry explained as he made his way to the other side of the bed.

The brunette scowled at her son's statement before she was startled by slender arms suddenly grabbing on to her.

"Miss Swan, what are you…" Regina started to argue but stopped when she noted the fear in the savior's eyes as she backed away from Henry. "Miss Swan?"

"He isn't real, he can't be. It doesn't make sense for fairy tales to be real, so that means he isn't really here," the blonde muttered as she continued to push herself against Regina's body.

Henry watched in shock and concern as the sheriff huddled against his brunette mother. He had never seen such fear in the savior's eyes before and it scared him.

"Emma, what's the matter with you?" the boy asked in concern.

"Henry, go upstairs," Regina softly requested. "Now, please."

The boy paused for a moment, unsure if he should leave them alone together, but Emma's actions were disturbing and she seemed to want Regina so he figured he'd trust the evil queen to figure out the problem without him.

"Help her," Henry pleaded with his mother before he ran from the room.

The feel of Emma in her arms was oddly comforting, more than it should've been, but Regina couldn't dwell on that sensation with the blonde on the verge of an anxiety attack. Carefully untangling the younger woman from her body, the brunette forced the sheriff to look at her.

"What is going on with you?" Regina demanded as she forcefully shook the quivering blonde.

Emma searched the chocolate orbs that were glaring at her, but they weren't the same as her wife's eyes. These eyes held a touch of coldness and despair, helping the savior to realize that she was indeed back in Storybrooke. Realization dawned on her that she had lashed out at Henry while she sought comfort from the evil queen.

_That's just great._ Emma thought to herself as she groaned in embarrassment.

"Well?" Regina pushed after not receiving an answer to her question.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know," the savior confessed. "It's getting harder though."

The older woman blew out a frustrated breath before she sat on the edge of the bed to face Emma. "As much as your Neanderthal vocabulary tends to amuse me, I need to obtain more information from you in order to understand what you're dealing with. Try full sentences for once, Miss Swan."

"I feel like Jefferson right now or at least what I think he would be dealing with, or dealt with before the curse broke," Emma stammered out as the woman across from her released an exasperated sigh. "Sorry, I know I'm not making any sense which would make sense since I'm being told that I'm crazy. Here's the thing; shortly after I came back from the Enchanted Forest, I've been having these dreams, but they're not dreams; they're real and by real I mean as real as you and me are right now."

"That's quite the conundrum. Go on," Regina prodded.

"It's gotten to the point where I'm flipping between worlds at varying times and I'm starting to question which is reality and which is fantasy."

"What would make you suddenly question that this might not be reality?"

Emma quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "Seriously, Regina? You're the Evil Queen from a freakin animated movie that children love to watch. And I'm supposed to believe that my parents are the same age as me and that they're the iconic Snow White and Prince Charming? It was hard enough to accept this as reality to begin with when Henry was shoveling this crap down my throat before the curse broke."

"I suppose someone brought up in this world would have difficulty in accepting us to be actual people," Regina surmised. "That doesn't explain your reaction to Henry or to me for that matter."

Emma ducked her head as she found it incredibly hard to watch the brunette when she told her the truth. "In this other life, I had a miscarriage when I was six months pregnant. We were gonna name him Henry. I took it pretty hard and it was one of two things that I guess sent me over the edge and into the loony bin. I haven't had a chance to ask what the other thing was and I'm not sure if I want to," she confessed before she lowered her voice. "I saw memories of the miscarriage and held his… I never felt such anguish before."

A sniffle caused the sheriff to look up and she was stunned to see tears starting to brim in the other woman's eyes. Without thought, the savior reached over and took the older woman's hand, but the action wasn't as welcomed by the brunette. Regina quickly withdrew from the blonde's touch before she tried to play it off like she was going to use that hand to wipe her eyes.

"You said _we_ were going to name him Henry. Am I to assume that you and I are a couple in this other life?"

Emma nodded. "You're my wife and August is my biological brother. Mary Margaret and David are still my parents, but they died when I was six."

The mayor was overwhelmed with this new information, especially the part about her being Emma's wife. The need for space was suddenly too demanding and she quickly stood up from the bed and started to pace.

"I don't know how to convince you that this is your real life because your real life isn't what one from this world would deem normal, but help me to understand how Henry doesn't convince you that this place is reality and the other place is simply a dream?"

"You just answered that question yourself; nothing is normal about our situation here in Storybrooke. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time I was committed," Emma confessed and she watched as shock washed over the brunette's features.

"Please explain yourself, Miss Swan," Regina demanded.

"I was bounced from foster home to foster home when I was a teenager and I started to spiral downhill. When I was sixteen, I was placed with this couple and the foster father started touching me inappropriately. It escalated and I ratted him out, but nobody believed me because I was labeled as a trouble maker, so I started cutting as an outlet to deal with it. My foster mother caught me one night and thought I was trying to commit suicide. I had to spend three months in the mental ward for it but hey, it got me outta that hell hole and away from that dirty scumbag."

Emma observed Regina's hands curl into tight fists, but she couldn't bring her eyes up to meet the brunette's. Instead she lowered her head and played with an errant string from Mary Margaret's blanket. A few minutes of uneasiness passed before the sheriff felt the bed sink down beside her.

"Emma, I'm sorry for making you speak about that. It was none of my business," Regina murmured before she bravely reached over and patted the savior's hand. "I honestly don't know what is happening to you, but maybe we've overlooked something. Do you recall touching or doing anything before these vivid dreams started to occur?"

The sheriff shook herself from the shock of Regina's brief touch to her hand before she cocked her head for a moment to think about the older woman's question. Her eyes suddenly lit up when she remembered something and she proudly held her injured finger up to the brunette.

"I stabbed my finger on the trilogy of terror doll in Gold's shop," Emma indicated with a smile.

Regina took the blonde's hand into her own and inspected the tiny blood blister that appeared there. "I don't understand what a trilogy of terror doll is, but perhaps you could explain it's appearance in detail to me."

"It's an ugly, creepy looking doll with black and white hair that has crazy eyes with big pointed teeth and a caveman-like spear, which is what I stabbed myself on," Emma detailed as she watched the brunette's eyes widen in fear. "What? What is it, Regina?"

The mayor cleared her throat before she frowned. "She wasn't always a doll, it's just the form that Rumplestiltskin trapped her in."

"_Her_? That thing is a her?!" Emma questioned in shock.

"Cruella to be exact," Regina clarified.

"As in Cruella De Vil who tried to skin Dalmatian puppies to make a fur coat?!"

"Oh this unpleasant world and its biased twists on our fated stories," Regina mused dryly. "I don't know her entire story, but I know enough. Ever since she was a child, Cruella was tortured and taunted by her rich parents. They clothed her in rags and locked her in cages with feral dogs. The fright of facing the vicious animals was said to turn half of her hair prematurely white. When she became a teenager, her parents died in a tragic accident, leaving her as their only heir to the entire estate. She went from surviving dog attacks and brutal beatings to living the esteemed wealthy life. Unfortunately, years of abuse left her with a very black heart and no humanity. She had all the dogs that her parents left behind euthanized and skinned to make a coat and she wore nothing but their fur as a statement that she had survived. Shortly after that she started to practice dark magic, focusing specifically on voodoo and shamanism. She became very powerful in a short amount of time and it drew the attention of Rumplestiltskin."

"Lemme guess; he wooed her with an offer on something she wanted and then tricked her, turning her into that doll for all of eternity," Emma predicted.

"Basically yes, but her power is held in that spear that she holds and you touched it."

"Why a spear?" the sheriff suddenly questioned.

"What?"

"Why a spear?" she repeated. "Nothing in your little story mentioned her being associated with a spear."

"The spear was her talisman that held her magic. I never had one, unless you count my apple tree, but Maleficent did. The spear was supposedly a gift from the witch doctor who taught her dark magic."

Emma nodded in understanding before she bit her bottom lip. "So if this is because I touched her spear, why the mind games? Shouldn't I have turned into a spotted puppy or something?"

"I have a theory, but I'd like to consult my books before I make a conclusion," Regina explained before she sighed heavily. "I'm afraid there might not be a simple solution to this problem."

"Figures," Emma mumbled before she forced a smile. "Can you do me a favor and keep this between us for now?"

"I'm not the one with a social life, Miss Swan," the brunette quipped. "I will, however, refrain from telling the couple of people I do associate with."

"Thanks, and thank you for listening."

Regina shrugged nonchalantly before she stood up and straightened her blazer. "Talk to Henry before he lets his imagination run rampant. Tell him whatever you need to in order to quell his curiosity."

"I will," Emma replied.

The older woman quietly slipped from the room and the sheriff watched as she left the apartment. The blonde was still exhausted, but concern for her son played a bigger part so she forced herself to get up and climb the stairs to her old bedroom.

Knocking on the door, she opened it without invitation to find Henry propped up in bed and reading from his story book.

"Hey kid, sorry about before," Emma greeted before she sat down beside him. "I've been having nightmares lately and I was disoriented when you two woke me up."

"It's alright Emma, I know you been kinda different since you came back. I guess it's expected when you return from a land that you didn't really think existed."

Emma snorted at his statement. "If only you knew, kid. Hey, did you have a good time with your mom today?"

"Yeah. I miss her cooking," Henry teased before the sheriff bumped his shoulder with her own.

"You miss more than just her cooking," she noted.

Henry nodded in agreement. "She's really trying to change, to be good."

"Believe me Henry, I've noticed," Emma responded.

"Glad someone does because everyone else seems to think that she's plotting their deaths or something."

"Who told you that? Did someone say something to you?"

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just, I can tell from the way people talk, you know. Grandma and Gramps seem to top that list."

The savior couldn't help the flush of anger that ran beneath her skin at his remark. It was one thing for people to voice their opinions to her because she was the sheriff and could handle their ignorant attitudes, but to say things around Henry about his brunette mother was unforgivable.

"If anyone ever says anything to you about Regina you tell me immediately, you got it?" Emma lectured.

"Yeah Mom, I got it."

Emma smiled at his answer as she kissed the top of his head before she stood up. "Goodnight, Henry."

"Night, Mom."

The sheriff closed the bedroom door and started down the stairs when her parents walked in the front door.

"Oh hey Emma, how are you feeling?" David asked as they unloaded their keys and wallets in a dish by the door.

"I have a bone to pick with you two," she snapped as she crossed her arms defiantly.

Her parents froze before they turned to face their angered daughter. "What's wrong, Emma?"

"Look, I get it that Regina gave you two nothing but grief and heartache back in the land of make believe, but you will not talk ill of her when Henry is around. Do I make myself clear?"

"Emma, we would never do that," Snow clarified as she moved closer to her daughter. "I'd hope you would know us better than that."

"It doesn't have to be said directly to him. He catches everything and he's a sneaky little shit at finding ways to hear what adults are saying about his mother," the savior indicated.

Mary Margaret bowed their head sheepishly with a guilty look. "I guess we'll have to do better and be mindful of where Henry is before we speak."

"Stop talking about Regina, period. She is really trying to change and Henry will most likely be that person to give her the determination she needs to finally find some happiness."

"You're right, Emma," David agreed. "When you two were away I noticed the transformation with Regina. The fact that she saved you two from death should speak for itself and I'm sorry for allowing old feelings to blur the lines."

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Henry. Or better yet, Regina," she countered before she flopped down on the couch. "Now if you two don't mind, I'd like to get some shuteye. I didn't get as much as I needed today."

"But you slept all day," Mary Margaret corrected. "I even stopped by and checked in on you."

"You did?"

"Yes, and you were out for the count on our bed."

The sheriff blushed. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's alright. I figured you wanted to be down here to know when Henry returned home."

Emma confirmed her guess with a nod before she let out a big yawn. "Well regardless, I'm still exhausted. Goodnight."

The young parents watched on in concern as the savior curled up on the couch and passed out. Not even a full minute ticked by before they heard the soft breathy murmur of Regina's name being uttered from their daughter's mouth before her lips curled up into a permanent smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows! I want to apologize ahead of time for the corruption of a major character, but it's needed for the story.  
**

**Warning: Dark chapter with minor details of a rape.**

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Emma nibbled happily on her burger and fries beside Regina on the bed while August took the single chair in the small hospital room. The two visitors were taking turns telling stories of Emma's past, from the Walt Disney World trips her parents took her and August on every year- because their mother was a Disney fanatic- to her rebel teen years of smoking and skateboarding. Regina talked about how they had met at the tender age of seventeen through a mutual friend named Neal, and the ups and downs of their relationship through the past eleven years.

The fair-haired woman was engrossed with their stories and as they talked about certain things, she would receive flashbacks of her own memories that corresponded and sometimes, she called them out on a missed detail or a fudged up recollection.

After they finished eating their meals, a silence fell over them before Emma cleared her throat and spoke up.

"I just want to say that I'm so sorry for everything I put you guys through by being here," the blonde apologized.

"Oh Sweetheart, don't apologize for something you had no control over," Regina murmured. "Given what happened to you, the doctors told us it was out of your hands. To be honest, we never thought we would have this again."

"What do you mean?" the blonde questioned in confusion.

"Emma," August started as he reached over and gripped her ankle lovingly. "We were told that you would never be coherent again. Between the trauma you suffered and the new world you had created, they reminded us every day that the chances of you having a full recovery were slim to none."

"Was I really that bad?"

"You, um," the brunette stammered as she tried to find the right words. "When you were admitted here, you wouldn't respond to anything. We'd talk to you for hours in hopes that somehow we would get through to you, but it was like you were in a vegetative state. Every so often you would talk as if someone else was right in front of you and that was the only time we ever got to hear your voice. They had to give you a feeding tube and...and diapers were necessary."

"Wait, what?! How long was I in diapers?" Emma questioned in horror.

"About a year and then something clicked into place. You started to eat food when it was put in front of you and you used the bathroom when you were directed to it."

"Oh good God, that's embarrassing," the blonde mumbled as she dropped her head into her hands. "Wait, how did you get the details about the other world?"

"That was all your wife's doing," August praised. "Even though you never talked to us directly, she figured out a way to get you to tell us facts about what was going on inside your head. It was like trying to solve a very intricate puzzle, but Regina was persistent. She would sit with you for hours trying to break through to you. Sometimes it was a key word and other times it was a certain sentence or phrase."

"That had to take forever," Emma indicated with surprise.

"A couple years actually and of course your wife was the only one that you would respond to. Doctors, nurses, friends, a few psychiatrists, and even I have tried, but you wouldn't utter a peep. Regina on the other hand, you chirped like a canary; especially when you turned twenty-eight."

"What happened when I turned twenty-eight?"

"That's when you really spewed out all this information about Storybrooke and it's characters," August answered before he smiled. "But only your wife got to hear about that place. Just the presence of someone else in the room made you clam right up."

Emma couldn't help but feel a powerful connection to the dark-haired woman as she reached over and boldly cupped Regina's face. "I must've recognized you somewhere deep inside my crazy head."

"That's what I kept telling myself. It meant the world to me that I was the only one you'd respond to, and the only one you trusted with your made-up world," Regina admitted. "Even though you hate the Storybrooke version of me."

"Hate is a strong word," Emma countered with a sad smile before she turned to August and asked, "So thanks to Regina, you guys figured out my alternate life?"

"Yup; we pieced it together and the psychiatrists explained how we were all still with you in some way and that the whole fairytale Disney-themed part was because it took you back to an innocent time in your life; a safe haven so to speak," August explained.

"I can't make you understand how real it is and how difficult it is to make myself believe it's not real," Emma confessed.

"We understand that it must be a struggle, but now that we finally have you back, we're not losing you again," Regina promised.

"I need to know what the second thing was that sent me here," the younger woman pushed. "I have to face it like I did my miscarriage. It's time for me to accept the tragic events and hopefully move on."

The blonde watched her wife and brother as they shared a look before August stood up and quietly left the room.

"Where's he going?"

"I'm afraid your reaction to the miscarriage may fall short in comparison to this memory. August is getting Dr. Palmer and some orderlies to be on standby in case you don't react well to the news."

"It wasn't the news so much as it was reliving it," Emma countered.

"And that is reason enough to have the doctor here; trust me," Regina strained.

The younger woman watched as her brother returned with the doctor while two men stood just outside the door. The blonde felt her heartbeat quicken in pace as her nerves seemed to vibrate with anxiety.

"Regina, will you hold me as August recounts what happened to me?" Emma requested in a childlike voice.

"Of course," the brunette murmured as she propped herself against the headboard and pulled Emma into her arms, her blonde head resting comfortingly against Regina's chest.

The doctor was about to protest, but a hard glare from the brunette stopped him before he could utter a word.

"I'm ready, August," Emma declared as she curled tighter against Regina in preparation.

"You were twenty-three when you had the miscarriage," August started as he sat down in the chair beside the bed. "The sudden shift in emotions from being happy about the pregnancy to the turmoil of it ending in miscarriage took a drastic toll on both of you, so you and Regina decided to take a much needed break before you two would try again," August explained before he took a moment to collect his thoughts. "About ten months after losing the baby, you were attacked by someone a few blocks away from your precinct. You had just ended your shift at work when he grabbed you from behind and pulled you into an alley. He wanted to make a deal with you, but you refused to give in and being a trained law enforcement officer, you fought back. The problem was, he had targeted you, stalking and observing you for a few months before he made his move, so he knew how you would defend yourself and he was prepared to counterattack you."

Emma listened intently, but she wasn't prepared for the flashback that slammed into her brain as August's voice faded into the background while images rushed forward through her mind in bold, ugly colors. She felt the knife at her neck, the sting of it cutting into her delicate skin, and the voice of none other than the man she knew as Mr. Gold sneering into her ear. She felt the adrenaline coarse through her as she fought back and the disappointment as each of her defense moves were blocked. She felt the pain of his fists as they connected with her face and the moisture of the damp bricks on the wall behind her. She felt dreaded fear seep into her mind as the pressure of his body pinned her to the ground and she could smell the odor of his cigar-tinged breath as he panted above her.

Her stomach rolled violently as she experienced the traumatizing assault all over again and she fought to keep the bile down before an unexpected scream tore from her throat. Regina clung to her as tightly as she could while the doctor scrambled to pull out the prepared needle before he quickly administered the sedative into her arm.

"G-Gold raped me…Mr. Gold fucking raped me!" Emma realized in sheer terror as she started to shake violently in her wife's arms.

"It's okay, Emma, I got you," Regina whispered reassuringly as she gently rocked the younger woman in an effort to soothe her. "Your coworkers hunted him down and took care of him. He'll never hurt you or anyone else ever again."

Emma felt the sedative start to kick in as she slowly melded into her wife's embrace. Tears ran unfettered down her cheeks before her eyes slipped shut as she succumbed to slumber.

Like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, Emma finally did get a break from both worlds and slept.

A few hours later she slowly woke up to the comforted feeling of feminine arms wrapped around her torso. Risking a peek, she realized Regina was nestled beneath her on the bed while her own head had been tucked underneath her wife's chin. A soft snore had her looking to the side and she saw August was asleep on the metal chair in an awkward position.

Fingers softly tangled into her golden locks and she felt the body below her shift. Lifting her head, she propped it on her fist as she openly gazed upon the other woman's face. She wished the Storybrooke version of her wife had looked at her with such love and adoration.

"How are you feeling?" the brunette softly questioned.

"Better than I expected, and not so druggy this time. What are you two still doing here?"

"We wanted to stay to make sure you were alright."

August suddenly snorted before he jumped awake and looked around. When he saw Emma's grinning face, he couldn't help but return the sentiment. "Hey little sister, it's good to see you smiling."

Emma turned back to the woman beneath her and couldn't help but lean forward and kiss her. It was a guilty pleasure that she was starting to enjoy a little too much. When she pulled back, the blonde felt a uncontrollable shiver run down her spine as dark pools gazed upon her with a hint of desire.

"As much as I hate to do this, maybe you two should go home and get some rest. I'm sure visiting hours have ended a long time ago," Emma indicated before she sat up, pulling her wife up with her.

"Actually, I'm going to remain here with you tonight," Regina informed her. "August, on the other hand, is going to head home and return in the morning."

The older man took that as his queue to leave and he stretched up before he leaned down and kissed Emma's forehead. "She's right, Em. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Augustus," she replied without thought.

"Hey look at that, you remembered your annoying nickname for me," he chuckled. "I never thought I'd be so happy to hear that awful moniker again. Goodnight, ladies."

The couple watched as her brother took his leave before they turned to face one another. Emma quickly closed the gap between them as she locked her lips on her wife's mouth in a desperate need to connect with her. It quickly escalated as Regina deepened the kiss, her tongue seeking entrance that Emma willingly granted. A moan escaped from both of them as their tongues tangled in a heated dance before the brunette reluctantly broke the kiss. They breathed heavily as their foreheads touched before they locked eyes.

"That was…wow," Emma mused as she heard her wife chuckle.

"I missed you so much," Regina whispered as she tucked an unruly lock of golden hair behind Emma's ear.

"I can tell," the younger woman teased. "Are you sure you can stay here? I don't want you to lose your visiting privileges before I get out of here."

"I'm sure. Everyone here knows me and your brother very well. Dr. Palmer was so elated with your breakthrough that he felt I deserved to be here with you while you're still…well you. Besides, it's not like you're clinically crazy. As a matter of fact, this wing of the hospital is for people like you, more or less; lost souls just trying to find their way back home. Some do and some don't."

"Does he, Dr. Palmer that is, does he think I'm going to revert back?"

"Emma, this is a miracle that even the doctors can't deny. For that reason alone they fear that this is just a brief anomaly, but I know that you'll prove them all wrong," Regina said with confidence.

"I hope so, I mean I feel great, but I'm still flipping between worlds. Plus, I'm not totally sold on this being reality," Emma confessed with a small frown.

"Dr. Palmer said that when you're ready, he'll help you work on ridding yourself of the hallucinations that keep you locked in. Once you accomplish that, you can finally let go of that other world and come home."

"It's not as simple as it sounds," Emma countered.

"I realize that. The psychiatrist here, Dr. Whale, he explained that it was going to be quite a challenge for you when you decide to eradicate the alternate world and the people in it. He said it was going to be the hardest thing you ever do, an example being to tell your dead parents and son that they don't exist. They will fight and cry and try to wear you down, but you'd have to remain strong or else you can't move on."

Emma didn't know how to respond to that. She still felt unsure of what was real and what wasn't, but the thought of telling Henry once again that he didn't exist was a little too difficult to comprehend at the moment.

"I can smell your brain cells cooking," Regina teased. "There is no rush to pick a world just yet. When the time comes, you'll know."

"Alright, you're right."

"Let's get some sleep, shall we?" the brunette offered as she climbed under the covers and opened her arms invitingly.

"Who am I to deny the wishes of the beautiful maiden in my bed," Emma joked before she crawled in beside her wife and settled down into her arms. "I've never felt as safe as I do right now, here with you beside me."

"Goodnight Emma, I love you," Regina murmured before she placed a kiss to her crown.

The blonde was slightly startled by the admission of love, but it felt right somehow. She didn't want to leave her wife hanging and thinking she didn't care, but she couldn't exactly find it in her to say that she loved her either, so she offered the next best thing.

"Ditto," she whispered before she drifted off peacefully.

"Damn it, Emma, wake up!" A voice demanded before a harsh slap struck her face.

The sheriff's eyes flew open from the impact and she looked up to see Mary Margaret hovering above her with her hand held out. A look of relief washed over the pixie-haired brunette as she quickly took her daughter's face into her hands.

"God Emma, you scared the crap out of me! I'm sorry I hit you, but you weren't responding at all. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were in a coma!"

As much as she knew from the core of her being that this was reality, something in her snapped and demanded her to accept that her parents and Henry were possibly nothing more than a mirage created by her own delusional mind. She still sensed the warmth of Regina's embrace around her body and that made her feel grounded in a foreign way. With renewed determination, she wrenched her face from Mary Margaret's grip and stumbled off the couch away from her.

"You're dead!" Emma suddenly snapped. "Stay away from me!"

"Emma, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Snow demanded as she started to approach her daughter in concern.

"I said stay back! I'm mean...I'm sorry Mary Margaret…I'm just not ready to deal with this, not yet so please, give me some space before I say something that I might regret," she pleaded, which caused her mother to freeze in her tracks.

The sheriff took the opportunity to quickly don her boots and jacket. Grabbing her car keys, she briskly marched to the front door and yanked it open as her mother remained rooted in place. She paused in the entryway before she turned back to face the other woman.

"I'm going to speak with someone who can help me figure this out," Emma offered.

"Who?"

"Regina," Emma answered. "She's the only one who can help out right now, so I need you to honor my request and stay the hell away from me for a bit until I can get this under control."

"How long are you going to be gone?" Mary Margaret questioned as her eyes brimmed with tears.

"I honestly don't know. Just take care of the kid and keep your distance from me; I mean it!" the savior ordered before she strode out the door and left a stunned Mary Margaret behind.


	5. Chapter 5

Images looped in barely controlled chaos through Emma's mind as she drove her bug to Regina's estate. Part of her wanted to believe that this was the work of Cruella's spear, but another part of her had started to believe that maybe the spear was some kind of fail-safe key that her mind had conjured up and by touching it she finally woke up, having given her soul the rest it needed from her tragic events.

A shudder ran through her as memories of Mr. Gold flashed through her post-traumatic brain. She jerked the car to the right to keep from running it off the road before she managed to pull haphazardly into Regina's driveway. Her knuckles were white from the death grip she held on the steering wheel and she forced herself to take several deep breaths before she stumbled out of the car. Desperately trying to keep her grasp on Storybrooke reality, Emma made her way to the mayor's front door and rang the doorbell. Every few seconds she shook her head like she had some kind of uncontrollable tick, hoping that she could trick herself into believing that her mind was an Etch A Sketch toy with the ability to physically erase the horrifying images from her mind.

Regina wasn't surprised to find the blonde nuisance on the other side of her door, but the haphazard state of Emma's condition was a different story. She noted the sweat that beaded along the sheriff's ashen forehead and her bloodshot eyes that were blanketed with dark circles. The savior's arms were wrapped tightly around her torso in an almost protective manner while every now and again her head would jerk in a quick side to side motion.

"Help me, Regina…please," she begged as her skittish eyes tried to focus in on the brunette. "I don't trust anyone else."

The mayor was momentarily stunned by Emma's desperate plea, but she remained stone-faced as she glared at the person before her. "Why I Earth would I want to help you, Miss Swan?"

"Just had to get that last jab in, didn't you?" the blonde retorted through clenched teeth. "Please, can I come in?"

Regina sighed in frustration before she stepped back to allow the younger woman into her house. Emma quickly crossed the threshold, but as she started to ascend the few steps in the foyer, a particularly harsh memory slammed into her mind and she tripped over her own two feet and collapsed to the floor in an ungracious heap. The brunette had just finished locking the front door when she heard the savior's body impact with the wooden surface of the stairs and she couldn't help but roll her eyes as she made her way to the fallen woman. Reaching Emma's side, she roughly grabbed the blonde's arm to help her up, but the strangled cry from the savior caused her to immediately withdraw her hand.

"I'm trying to help you up, Miss Swan," Regina reasoned as she watched the other woman crawl away from her and huddle against the nearest wall.

"Please don't touch me, just…m-make it stop," Emma whimpered out.

"Make what stop?" Regina asked in barely controlled irritation as she crouched down in front of the savior. "What are you seeing right now?."

"Gold," Emma spit out.

"And what is Mr. Gold doing that it has you so worked up?" Regina prodded.

"Raping me," she whispered out in a barely audible voice.

The brunette's eyes widened in horror as she inhaled a sharp breath. Emma might not be one of the mayor's most favorite people in town, but no one should ever have to suffer the fate of being sexually assaulted; something Regina was more than familiar with. A sudden need to assist the irritating blonde overtook her hindrance towards the sheriff and she reached out and forcibly gripped the blonde's chin between her fingers.

"Look at me, Emma. Keep your eyes on me and stay focused," Regina commanded.

It was a struggle, but the savior finally managed to lock her distrusting eyes onto Regina's darker ones and keep them there.

"Good," the brunette said as if she was praising a child. "Mr. Gold is not here; you are safe."

"Okay," the sheriff responded in a soft tone as she tried to get herself grounded in those chocolate orbs. "I'm safe."

"That's right, Miss Swan, you're safe with me at my house," Regina clarified. "How about we get you into the living room so that we may discuss what is going on with you."

"Okay," Emma complied.

The blonde carefully got to her feet with the help of Regina and they made their way into the living room before Regina pointed to the couch, wordlessly directing Emma to sit. The sheriff gave no grief in being treated like a incapacitated human being as she followed Regina's orders and sat down while the mayor quickly poured them both a glass of cider before she took a seat beside the savior. Taking the offered drink, Emma swallowed all of the liquid in one large swig before she set the glass down on the coffee table and scooted back against the couch. Within minutes she had started to think more clearly and she felt a little bit sheepish about her earlier episode. Her hands fidgeted in her lap as she kept her eyes down while she spoke.

"I'm sorry about before. It's just so real and I'm having a hard time staying in the here and now."

"So I've gathered," the brunette responded. "What you said earlier, about Gold; did that happen to you in the other life?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, it was the second tragic event that sent me off the deep end and into the loony bin. It's just…like with Henry and the miscarriage, I saw it happening in flashbacks that I couldn't control, but this time it's different. Ever since I saw him ra…doing what he did to me, I can't seem to stop reliving it."

"I can only imagine how horrible that must be," Regina sympathized. "Is that why you came here? Was this too difficult to tell your parents?"

"No, it's not that," Emma explained. "It's actually worse, I think. I told Mary Margaret she was dead and to leave me alone. I also told her I was going to you."

The Evil Queen within the reforming woman couldn't help but widely grin at the thought of Snow White being hurt by her only daughter, but Regina managed to keep her actual smile down to a tiny smirk. "I bet that went well."

"Oh yeah, just peachy," the sheriff scoffed. "I attempted an apology and then told her to take care of Henry because I needed to sort things out. I honestly don't know how I could ever go back there."

"Are you trying to make a subtle hint that you plan to move in here with me?"

"I know better than to ask for that. I'll sleep in my car or at Granny's."

Regina sighed heavily before she faced the blonde and made an offer that she never thought she would hear herself say. "Honestly, Miss Swan, I have two guest bedrooms. It would probably be best if you stayed within my vicinity so that I can observe you and hopefully find a cure before you do something that we'll all regret."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you might be more of a danger to this town then I am at the moment," Regina answered before she went on to explain herself. "I haven't been successful in gathering information on Cruella's spear as of yet, but I have dabbled in some research for Schizophrenia and the outlook is never good in long term situations. If you start to believe that this world is truly a figment of your imagination, you will be pushed by the other world's people to end this one. That can entail anything from you simply driving away from here in that hunk of scrap metal you call a car or you actually staying in town in order to physically erase this reality, which results in you murdering everybody who meant anything to you."

"I would never kill anyone!" Emma snapped back in anger.

"You will if you honestly believe that none of us are real," Regina countered. "Answer me this; did you ever think you would question Henry's existence, or your parents for that matter?"

The savior paused before she shook her head in defeat. "No."

"Yet now you wonder if they are even real or if they are nothing more than ghosts you conjured up to keep you company in your schizophrenic brain," the brunette indicated before her eyes lit up as she realized something. "That's why you're here with me, isn't it? If August hadn't disappeared, you would probably be with him right now, but I'm the only person left who exists in both realities."

Emma blushed before she tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "Maybe."

"You would've come to me regardless if August was here or not." The mayor realized before she shook her head at how crazy the whole situation was. "This should be quite interesting."

"I should go," the younger woman decided as she stood up.

"No Emma, wait…stay," Regina pleaded softly. "I just, it's been quite lonely here without Henry and this house is extremely big for one person."

The sheriff flashed a quick smile to the brunette before she sank back down onto the sofa. "Alright, I'll stay. Thanks for giving me a place to crash...there's just no way I can deal my parents anytime soon."

"I know the feeling," Regina agreed with a rueful grin which caused Emma to chuckle.

* * *

Later that evening, Regina made dinner for the two of them and Emma filled her in on everything she learned of the other life. The older woman listened intently and asked several questions which the savior answered as best as she could. After dinner, they settled into the study with a glass of cider and the two women talked about nothing important, which was quite pleasant for both of them. Emma managed to stay in the present and she thanked Regina for keeping her grounded before the brunette showed her to the guest bedroom and bid her goodnight. The blonde changed into the borrowed pajamas before she settled into the cloud-trapped mattress and sighed contentedly before she passed out.

Regina couldn't understand why she was helping the daughter of her enemy, but something made her connect with the sheriff, drawing her in like a lamb to the slaughter. She had changed into her silk pajamas before she settled against the headboard with a book that she had been reading, something she had done a lot of lately. About twenty pages in, she heard the soft tones of Emma's voice drifting from down the hall. Curious, she padded her way out of her bedroom and to the guest room before she paused outside the door. Sure enough, Emma was talking. Taking the risk, Regina opened the door and quietly made her way inside. The savior wore a huge smile as she spoke softly to someone, which judging by her facial expressions, it was probably Regina's alter ego. Quietly grabbing the plush chair from the corner of the room, Regina positioned it to face the sheriff before she settled into it. She figured this was her best chance to get a first-hand account of what happens in the other reality and maybe it'd give her something to use to help her fix the younger woman. She couldn't help but smile in response to Emma's big goofy grin as she conversed with her doppelganger.

"I'm telling you I'm fine Gina, honestly," Emma reassured as she smiled up at her beautiful wife. "Stop worrying."

"Alright, you're right. I'm just worried that any minute could be the final straw," Regina admitted. "It scares the hell out of me."

"Regina, I love you; I'm not going anywhere," Emma confessed as she pulled her wife back down onto the bed.

The brunette wrapped her arms around her wife and sighed. "I love you too, more than you know."

"Can we go back to sleep now?" Emma whined which earned her a playful jab to the ribs and she laughed.

The couple curled up around each other comfortably before they fell into a peaceful slumber.

The mayor stared at the sheriff's sleeping form in stunned silence as the blonde stopped talking completely, her breaths evening out and deepening after she fell into a much needed rest from both worlds. Regina couldn't move as Emma's words played over and over in her head. _Regina I love you; I'm not going anywhere._

She knew the younger woman was talking to the other Regina, but it still caused butterflies to swarm in her belly, butterflies that should never exist because of Emma Swan. _Regina I love you; I'm not going anywhere._

She squeezed her eyes shut as she pinched the bridge of her nose. How was she going to convince Emma to stay in this world when she had love in the other world? Love was powerful and even though Henry and her parents gave her love in this world, she had never witnessed any of those three people make Emma smile the way she just had a few moments ago.

The brunette finally got up and quietly made her way to her own bedroom, snuggling down into her covers and sighing in content. The final thought that crossed her mind before she dosed off was Emma's words; _Regina I love you; I'm not going anywhere._ Unbeknownst to her, she had smiled just as brightly as Emma had when she finally fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning Emma awoke to the smell of coffee and realized with disappointment that she was back in Storybrooke. She was really starting to warm up to the idea that she could have a happy life with someone by her side, a wife no doubt, and it was something she never imagined having in this world. All she ever had in Boston and Storybrooke was heartbreak and loneliness.

Stretching, she relished in the feel of the soft mattress for a few more minutes before she dragged herself out of bed and down the stairs. Entering the kitchen, Regina wordlessly pushed a cup of coffee towards her and she smiled in appreciation before she took a hearty sip. It was a strange comfort to be in each others presence in such a domesticated setting as they both were still clothed in pajamas while Regina made them breakfast. Emma observed the brunette move around the kitchen and she noted that the dark haired woman seemed to be acting slightly shy around her, which was nowhere near the blunt mayor she had come to know and love.

After eating breakfast in companionable silence, Emma wordlessly took the dishes and washed them as the older woman sat at the breakfast bar and watched her while she sipped on her second cup of coffee. When she set the last dish on the drying rack, she grabbed the hand towel and turned to face the mayor with an raised brow.

"Are you always this quiet in the morning or is this a special treat?" The blonde inquired.

Regina offered a shrug in response as she held her cup in front of her, cleverly disguising the smirk she held, or so she thought. Emma leaned on the kitchen island and put herself in the other woman's space before she flashed an amused grin.

"You think you can hide that beautiful smirk behind your cup, Madame Mayor, but your eyes give you away every time," the sheriff clarified.

A perfectly sculpted eyebrow lifted in response. "Do they now?"

"Every time," Emma punctuated in a lower voice before she straightened up. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to take a shower."

Regina snapped out of her daze of being discovered before she cleared her throat. "The guest bathroom connected to your room has all the amenities you would need. Feel free to use them."

"Thanks," Emma replied before she turned on her heel and left.

* * *

Emma stepped into the spray of the shower and she audibly groaned in appreciation. Even though she showered regularly in Storybrooke, the hospital left her feeling dirty every time she woke up there and it seemed to linger whenever she returned.

"Emma, you need to cooperate with me," the brunette's word commanded into her ear and she couldn't help the shudder her wife's voice gave her when she spoke in a lowered tone.

Stepping away from the shower head, Emma was momentarily surprised to find a warm body pressed up against hers. Quickly wiping the water from her eyes, she gazed into the lovely dark eyes of her wife and smiled. Regina returned the gesture and sighed in relief.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't return," the brunette confessed as she wrapped her arms tightly around Emma's waist.

"How did I get in here?" Emma questioned as she realized she was in a mundane shower stall and not the beautifully decorated bathroom she was in just moments ago.

"You were back to being catatonic; following orders but not engaging. You were starting to smell so I convinced the doctor to let me bathe you."

"I did smell pretty bad," the blonde agreed before she chuckled.

"Let's get you finished up in here and dressed, shall we?"

"Oh, I don't know," Emma purred. "I can think of other things to do right now."

The brunette gasped in surprise as she felt Emma's hands roam down her exposed body. Soft lips met chapped lips before Regina pulled back.

"Emma, are you sure about this? It's been so long," Regina reasoned in concern.

"It's been too long and you deserve to have everything your heart desires for putting up with my shit. So tell me Gina, do you wish for this to continue or not?"

Brown eyes turned black with desire before an all too familiar smirk crept upon her lips. "What do you think?" Regina countered before she pulled Emma's body flush against her own and hungrily attached her lips to her wife's.

Things heated up quickly between them, hands and lips all over each other with an unquenchable desire that needed to be fulfilled. Emma had never experienced such intense feelings for anyone in her entire life and the need to connect with this beautiful woman before her in not just a platonic way, but a deeper, emotional way almost made her dizzy with the strength it held as it clenched onto her fragile heart.

She felt herself spiraling closer to her peak and she brought Regina right along with her before their lips slammed together to suffocate the screams as they fell over the edge of bliss in unison. The sated women collapsed against each other as they came down from their high and slid down into a tangled heap to land on the tiled floor of the shower.

"I never...I haven't felt...that was incredible," Emma stammered into Regina's saturated hair.

"I was going to go with intense," the brunette added which caused the other woman to chuckle.

"We're starting to prune," Emma noted. "Let's finish up in here and get dressed."

Regina nodded in agreement before they helped each other up off the floor and finished showering in silence.

About fifteen minutes later, the couple was dressed and settled on Emma's bed as August arrived with take out containers of food that he brought for all of them. The blonde was ravenous after her little escapade with Regina and she ate two plates worth of food much to her company's surprise.

"I haven't seen you eat like that in well, probably six years," August pointed out. "Maybe I should've brought more."

"No, this was more than enough August, thanks," Emma commented as she patted her full stomach. "Tell me what happened to us after Mom and Dad died. Did we go into foster care?"

"Briefly, but Granny came to the rescue and took us in," August replied as he gathered the empty food containers and threw them back into the plastic bag he had brought them in.

"Really? What about Ruby? Does she exist here?"

"Yeah, she is Mom's younger sister and before you ask, Granny isn't really our Grandmother; she was our Mom and Aunt Rube's nanny, but when their parents died she took them both in," August clarified.

"Seems like history repeated itself," Emma noted.

"Does seem that way, doesn't it?"

Emma was about to say something when she felt a sharp pain against her cheek. Her hand flew up to touch the tender flesh and inspect it when she felt it again.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Regina asked in concern.

"My cheek hurts," the blonde indicated as she rubbed at it.

"Let me see," her wife cooed as she gently pulled her hand away. "Oh, it looks a little red. Did you bump it in the shower?"

"Not that I can recall," Emma answered as she winced at her wife's probing hand.

"Sorry," Regina apologized before she moved away. "August can you stop by the nurse's station and ask for an ice pack?"

"Sure, I'll be right back," he quipped before he quickly left the room.

Another sharp sting bit into her cheek and she hissed. "Ouch, what the fuck?"

"I'm sorry," Emma heard Regina's voice say, but she noticed that her wife's lips never moved. "Snap out of it, Miss Swan."

"What the hell?" the blonde questioned, but before she could grasp what was happening, her world tilted on it's side and everything shifted in a sudden blur as her environment drastically changed. Her stomach twisted violently at the feeling and she focused onto concerned russet orbs that belonged to the mayor and not her wife. "Regina?"

Before the brunette could answer, she shoved a waste bucket under Emma's chin just before the savior vomited everything she just ate or thought she ate. The older woman wordlessly handed her tissues which she accepted gratefully as she wiped her mouth and nose.

"God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to puke, but the rapid switch from there to here kinda threw me for a loop, especially since I just ate...or thought I ate," Emma tried to explain as she watched the brunette set the garbage pail down and uncap a water bottle before handing it to her.

"It's a good thing I can recognize the facial expression of someone who is about to regurgitate or else you would be apologizing for throwing up all over me," Regina indicated. "It appears you and my son share the same look when you're about to be ill."

"Henry," Emma whispered mournfully before she raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wait a minute; the last thing I remember was taking a shower. How did you manage to get pajamas on me and put me into bed?"

"I may have used a little magical assistance," she mused before she gently touched Emma's cheek. "Sorry about that, but you weren't responding and I was starting to…"

The brunette clamped her mouth shut and pulled back. Emma knew it was hard for the ice queen to show any emotional concern, so she decided to let her off the hook and change the subject.

"I'm gonna go brush my teeth and take care of the waste basket," the sheriff decided as she made a move to get out of bed. "Meet you downstairs?"

"Oh right, yes, of course. I'll prepare some lunch and bring it into my office so we can work on finding a cure for you."

Emma smiled. "Thanks, I'll see you in a few."

The savior watched as the mayor stumbled out of her room with a flustered face and she couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Her hand reached up and caressed her cheek where Regina had just recently been touching her and she felt her heart flutter. Her feelings for her wife were starting to spill over into this world and she couldn't help but wonder if making love to this Regina would be the same or different.

"Oh God," Emma sputtered out as the sudden thought of the mayor finding her in the shower naked and unconscious as she moaned out her name crossed her mind.

She felt the flush of heat race through her body as she remembered the feeling of her wife's hands and lips everywhere and she quickly dashed into the bathroom, splashing cold water over her face.

"Get a grip, Emma," she muttered to herself before she grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thank you for the reviews, favs, and follows! You guys make a writer feel loved! **

**Update: spelling fixed! (would've annoyed me to no end if I had left it.) Thanks to the anon who pointed it out :)  
**

* * *

Emma walked into Regina's home office and was surprised to find the complete disarray of the room. The blonde didn't even think the pristine mayor was capable of clutter and messes as she glanced upon the books and papers that were strewn all over the place. Seated behind the desk, a dark mop of hair popped up from behind a ancient-looking book at the sound of Emma's arrival and she merely pointed to a plate set out on the coffee table that held a few sandwiches on it.

"I made turkey and ham sandwiches," Regina offered. "I wasn't sure which deli meat you'd prefer so I made them both. I also brought you a glass of milk and a glass of water." Emma raised an eyebrow in amusement which caused the brunette to fumble with an explanation. "Henry always drinks milk after he's sick…if you don't want it, just leave it on the table and I'll dump it out after you have finished eating."

The sheriff chuckled at the flustered brunette before she grabbed a turkey sandwich from the plate. "No, it's fine thank you. You guessed right in that I prefer milk too."

Regina couldn't help the half smile that crept upon her face before she ducked her head back down and continued reading from the book she held.

"Find anything useful yet?" Emma asked after she swallowed her giant bite of sandwich.

"I did actually. According to Merlin's Dictionary of Magical Implements, Cruella's spear causes the fabric of one's reality to be torn."

"How is that useful?" the blonde quipped. "We already know that my perception of reality is screwed up."

"Yes, but now I am positive that your visions are caused by her spear and not by something else."

"Something else?" Emma questioned until she assumed that Regina had been questioning her sanity. Before she could stop herself, she snapped out bitterly, "Oh, do you mean like a spontaneous case of schizophrenia because I discovered fairytales are real before I got shipped through a crazy man's hat to a magical world that Walt Disney practically created before I climbed out of a fucking wishing well and ended up back here in Maine, sipping on hot cocoa as if none of this shit should phase me."

"Miss Swan," Regina groaned out as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I was simply trying to elucidate that now that we know for a fact that the spear had caused the delusions, we can finally work on an antidote."

"Oh," Emma mumbled out before they two women fell into a tension-filled silence.

The sheriff quickly consumed her lunch before she took her dishes to the kitchen and washed them without being prompted to. When she returned to the office, she was surprised to see the mayor staring openly at her.

"What?" the blonde questioned self-consciously.

Regina blinked before she returned her attention to the book in her lap. "Nothing."

Emma decided not to antagonize the brunette for an explanation as she grabbed the closest book and held it up. "Did you read this one yet?"

Careful not to make eye contact with the savior, the mayor quickly glanced at the book's title before she shook her head in answer.

"I guess I'll start off with this one then," Emma stated as she ambled over to the couch and slumped down in it before she flipped back the book's cover and slowly thumbed through the weathered pages.

* * *

After hours of leafing through several books and only finding a tidbit of information, Emma slid from the couch to the floor and rolled onto her back before a long sigh droned out of her.

"This sucks," the sheriff whined as she sat up and looked over at the other woman. "We're no closer to having a solution than when we started."

Regina was about to argue, but she realized the younger woman was right. Closing the book she held in her lap, she tossed it to the side and stretched the stiff muscles in her neck.

"I'm afraid there is only one option left for us to do," the brunette indicated as she stood up. "I have to go see Mr. Gold."

Emma visibly shuddered and her face nervously twitched in reaction to the images his name had conjured up. A hand on her shoulder startled her and she flinched before she realized it was only Regina.

"I'm sorry, Emma," the older woman offered. "If there was any other way then I wouldn't have mentioned him, but we've exhausted all of our resources and we're running out of time. I don't expect you to go with me, so I trust you not to wreck my house in my absence."

The mayor expected the savior to make some snide remark, but instead she was stunned to receive pleading eyes and a pouty lip.

"You're leaving me here? Alone?"

"You're an adult, Miss Swan, though you sometimes lack the intelligence to be classified as such," Regina quipped, hoping that Emma would retaliate and challenge her, the way she used to so many months ago.

"I don't want you seeing him by yourself," Emma suddenly growled, ignoring the insult completely.

"Unlike you, I am more than capable of taking care of myself," the brunette argued.

"Please Regina...I don't trust him," she suddenly begged, which took the mayor by surprise. "Take David with you."

"Miss Swan…"

"Please?"

The brunette threw up her hands and scowled. "Fine, I'll take your imbecile of a father with me, but you're calling him to make the arrangements. Have him meet me there in twenty minutes."

"Wait, you're going over there now?! It's ten o'clock at night."

"And your point is?"

The blonde opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it and kept silent. Regina noted her reaction with amusement before she patted the sheriff on the shoulder.

"You're learning," the brunette praised condescendingly before she straightened up. "Make the call."

The younger woman watched as the other woman left the room before she retrieved her cell phone and dialed her father's number.

* * *

"It's becoming harder," Emma confessed as she walked hand in hand with her wife through the courtyard that was located in the center of the hospital.

"The doctors had warned about this. Have you tried cutting off ties with everyone in the other world?"

"Kind of," Emma offered. "I'm currently staying at the other Regina's place instead of at my mother's apartment."

"The savior living with the Evil Queen? That's preposterous!" the brunette teased before she bumped her shoulder against Emma's. "I'm glad we came out here. You needed some sun and fresh air."

"Didn't you bring me out here when I was a zombie?" Emma questioned.

"As a matter of fact I did but…wait, how did you know that?"

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know; it just came to me."

The brunette smiled at her as they continued to leisurely walk side by side.

"What do you do for a living?" Emma suddenly asked. "I'm assuming you're not the mayor of some small, rural town."

Regina laughed as she shook her head. "No, far from it. I'm a chef."

"A chef?!" Emma repeated with an amused grin. "That explains why the other Regina can cook."

"Maybe."

An image of the brunette cooking in a state of the art restaurant kitchen flashed through Emma's mind and she smiled before she questioned, "You're not just the chef, you're the owner of the restaurant."

Regina's eyes brightened. "That's right. Can you remember the name of my restaurant?"

The blonde tilted her head in thought. "It's Italian, I know that much…wait! It's called L'amore Vero Ristorante."

"Which translates to…?" Regina challenged.

"True love," Emma replied with a soft smile. "It translates to True Love Restaurant."

"Yes," the brunette praised.

"So you are a chef at a restaurant you own and I was a cop, right?"

"Yeah and a damn good one too," the older woman stated. "When I discovered that you're playing the role of sheriff in Storybrooke, I figured that it was your mind's way of keeping up on the job."

"Except no crime happens in Storybrooke," Emma pointed out, causing her wife to chuckle.

"Well, if we can get you healthy and back on your metaphorical feet, you can return to work where there is lots of crime and action just waiting on your beck and call," Regina offered before she wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist.

"I doubt the department I worked for will take my crazy ass back," Emma replied as she draped her arms around the smaller woman's neck. "There's something else I'm curious about."

"What is it?"

"Why did I carry when we tried to have children? I mean, in Storybrooke it was because I got knocked up, but here…I just assumed you would be the one to carry and not me."

The brunette took a deep breath before she released it in a heavy sigh. "We wanted me to be the one to get pregnant, but after running some tests the doctors discovered that I had a very slim chance of conceiving. After a long week of crying and sulking, we agreed to give you a shot to see if you'd be more successful. Turns out you had a trophy reproductive system and we started trying right away."

Emma ran her fingers through Regina's ebony locks as she offered a sad smile. "I'm sorry Gina, I didn't mean to drudge up painful memories."

"It's okay, you didn't remember."

"Well trophy system or not, it obviously wasn't as flawless as expected considering I miscarried."

"That wasn't your fault. It could've happened to anyone," the brunette lectured.

"But it happened to me and my so-called perfect female organs," the sheriff countered before she cupped the older woman's face. "So that tells me that the doctors don't know shit and I think, the next time we try that you should be the one to carry as originally planned."

"You really want to try again?"

"Once I get out of here, it'll be the first thing we do together," Emma clarified as she brushed the falling tears from her wife's face.

"You believe?" Regina questioned with a hopeful gaze, knowing the blonde would understand what she was asking of her.

"Almost, I just have some loose ends to take care of in Storybrooke."

The brunette leaned up and kissed the taller woman before she pulled back and tugged on Emma's hand to follow her back inside.

* * *

David pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against when he saw Regina walking towards him.

"Finally," David exhaled. "I beginning to think you got lost."

"In case you have forgotten, your lunatic daughter is currently residing in my house. I needed to make sure she was settled in before I left her to her own devices."

"How is she?"

"Getting worse, which is why we are here," Regina answered as they approached the pawn shop's entrance. "Gold has more knowledge on Cruella than anyone else, so hopefully he has the cure that Emma needs."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to actually secure Emma in the psych ward for everybody's safety," the brunette confessed.

David gave a frustrated sigh in response before he grabbed the door handle to the shop. "Let's get this over with."

The bell chimed overhead and the duo strolled in like they owned the place. Gold was behind the front counter writing in a ledger when he glanced up and smiled.

"I take it our dear sheriff has fallen ill?" the older man guessed as he closed his ledger and pushed it aside.

"Did you do something? How would you know that?" David accused as Regina surveyed the items displayed around them.

"Because dearie, nothing else would bring the Evil Queen and Prince Charming to my doorstep alone so late in the evening unless it had to do with Miss Swan. So tell me, what ails the savior?"

"This," Regina answered as she carefully picked up the creepy looking doll. "She pricked her finger on the spear."

Gold's expression took on the look of a deer in headlights as the mayor set the doll down on the counter in front of him.

"I knew I should have locked her inside the display case once magic was returned to us," he mumbled almost to himself.

"Can you give Emma something to stop the delusions?" David asked pleadingly.

The shop owner continued to stare at Cruella's captured form before he asked, "How far gone is she?"

Gold looked up in time to catch the younger man across from him as he made a silent gesture towards Regina to answer the question.

"It's becoming increasingly difficult for her to differentiate between what is real and what isn't," the mayor explained.

"I see," he responded as he carefully moved the doll to a high shelf behind him. Without a word, Gold disappeared behind the curtain that led to the backroom before he returned a moment later with six vials collected in his arms. Setting the bottles on the glass counter, he looked upon the dark-haired woman with a rueful smirk before he asked, "I take it your presence here is not for the sake of young Henry, but because you are the only one that Miss Swan trusts right now?"

She shifted uncomfortably at his knack for observation before she nodded in response. "Yes."

"Good, at least I know this will be done by a person familiar with magic and not some idiot."

"Hey," David scoffed in offense.

"Sorry dearie, but the truth hurts. Besides, Regina is needed for this anyway, regardless of whose care she is under," he hinted at before he pointed to the vials. "Place two drops from each bottle into a cup of tea and get her to drink it."

"It can't be that easy," David protested.

"It's not," Gold countered. "The antidote will clear her mind enough to help her make the right decision."

"Wait, what decision?" the younger man questioned in confusion.

"Emma needs to decide what reality she wants to live out the rest of her life in," Regina answered for Gold as she realized the difficult situation she had just been tasked to deal with.

"What do you mean choose?! This is reality! The other one is just a delusional life created by that damn doll!"

"How do you know?" Gold teased mockingly. "Who are we to judge what is reality and what is fantasy?"

"Enough!" David shouted in anger. "What the hell happens to her if she chooses the other place?"

"Then your precious daughter will become catatonic for the rest of her life. She'll live, eat, and breathe, but she'll never fully regain consciousness," Gold explained. "She'll forever be trapped inside the whims of her mind. On the bright side, she won't know that because she'll be living out the rest of her days in that other world, believing it to be as real as you and me."

"Does she need to perform any tasks in order for the decision to be finalized?" Regina questioned.

The barely contained grin on Gold's face made Regina's stomach twist uncomfortably as he leaned towards her and stated, "Once she chooses her path, she needs to seal it with a kiss, whether it is with you or with the other you."

"What?!" Regina and David shouted in unison.

"Why does my daughter need to kiss her?! Isn't the antidote enough?"

"As I've already stated, that will only clear her mind so she can make the right choice. As far as the curse itself, the only thing that can break Cruella's magic is true love's kiss, and the savior's true love just happens to be the Evil Queen herself," Gold indicated with a dramatic wave of his hand. "Tell me your Majesty, what role do you play in the other world? Her girlfriend? Her wife?"

"You knew about this," Regina accused as she pointed her finger at the older man. "You knew from the beginning who her true love would be."

"That would be called speculating, dearie," Rumple sneered.

An image of Daniel telling Regina to love again flashed through the mayor's mind before she slammed her hand down on the glass counter and growled. "No! No more games or twisted words. I already know how you manipulated me in order to have the dark curse enacted, so you owe me at least the decency of telling me the truth. How long did you know about me and Miss Swan's..._connection_?"

A devious grin crossed his features as he leaned in daringly closer to the enraged woman. "I received an interesting vision of the future when I put that drop of true love's magic on the parchment that contained the dark curse to ensure that Emma would break it. Apparently, the savior was meant to save everyone, including her true love Regina, the damaged queen who enacted the dark curse. You may argue that the future can always change, which would alter the visions I had received, but you know as well as I do that true love is true love, dearie; it can't be decided or modified. Kind of poetic, don't you think? Everything comes full circle."

"This is ludicrous! Daniel was my true love and everyone from our world knows that we only have one true love out there, not two!" Regina raged.

"How do you know that Daniel was your true love? Or better yet, how do you know Sheriff Swan isn't Daniel reincarnated?"

"You listen very carefully to me, you manipulative fucking troll," Regina cursed as her voice dipped down to a venomous tone. "I know he was my true love and nothing you say will ever change that. So if you value your life, you will never imply to me again that Miss Swan is my dead fiancé's reincarnated soul because I will destroy everything you love, starting with your precious Belle."

David watched the interaction in silence as he tried to absorb the information that was being tossed around. Gold continued to hold a malicious grin as Regina glared dangerously at him.

"I know you two have a history, but can this wait until after my daughter is cured?" David argued as he glared between the two weathered villains.

Regina and Rumple leaned away from each other before Gold packed the vials into a wooden box and slid it across the counter.

"I'll give this to you at no cost, but only because I feel you have nothing left to give to me," Gold indicated. "Tick tock, your Majesty. The longer she goes without being cured, the quicker her mind will go and when that happens, you can mark my words that she will choose the alternate life. Imagine how crushed your son would be if you lost his other mother."

Regina wanted so desperately to lash out, but instead she just grabbed the box and turned, walking out of the shop without another word. She made it halfway down the block without looking back when booted feet came running up behind her.

"Regina, wait!" David cried out as he made his way to her side. "We should talk about this."

"Talk about what? The fact that I'm your daughter's true love?!" the brunette snapped as she paused to glare at him. "Do you know how absurd that sounds?!"

"I do, but if that's really the case then there is nothing that any of us can do about it."

The brunette laughed heartily before she questioned, "Are you hearing yourself? You are justifying my relationship with Emma as being acceptable as long as it's true love. Tell me Prince, how do you think your wife will handle this news?"

David scratched his head and sighed. "Not well, I suppose."

"Maybe there is some good in this after all," Regina mused with a smirk. "I would _love _to be the person to inform her of this delightful news."

"Don't even think about it, Regina," David warned. "Remember, she is Henry's grandmother; you hurt her and you hurt him too."

Regina deflated before she shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it was worth a try."

"You've been doing so well at earning Henry's faith back; don't let this revelation ruin it," David pointed out to the stunned brunette. "Listen, I'm going to head home and try to figure out a way to inform Mary Margaret of this evening's events. Please, call if you need anything and I'll inform Henry you send your love."

"Thanks," she responded awkwardly to the unexpected hospitality. "I'll...I'll be in touch."

* * *

After quietly entering her residence, Regina checked to make sure all of the lights were off downstairs and that everything was locked up before she headed up to the second floor.

Entering her bedroom first, she set the box down on her dresser before she made her way to the guest room. She barely had the door cracked open when she heard the savior's distinct voice followed by her soft giggles. She noted that Emma was sitting halfway up and on top of the bed covers as she talked animatedly to an invisible source.

"Gina, stop," Emma chuckled out and Regina froze before she realized the blonde wasn't talking to her.

Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, she quickly made her way to the savior's side and pulled the covers out from underneath the younger woman.

"It's not like you would ever call me Gina anyway," the mayor grumbled as she positioned the sheriff's body down in the bed to lie more comfortably.

"You make me happy, Gina. I didn't think I could ever be happy again," Emma confessed.

Regina ignored the blonde as she tucked the covers around her cold frame. She glanced at the sheriff's relaxed features and couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. If Emma was truly happy in her made up world, who was she to take that away from her? Obviously the other Regina could give her what the mayor could never offer, regardless if they were true lovers or not.

In an unexpected move, she boldly reached out and brushed the hair from Emma's face, caressing her cheek as she tucked the unruly hair behind the blonde's ear before she drew away. Startled by her compassionate move, the mayor scoffed at herself before she quickly snapped off the table lamp and left the room.

Little did Regina know, her touch had brought the sheriff back to Storybrooke reality. The surprised blonde watched the brooding brunette exit her darkened room before she reached up to stroke her cheek where the warmth of the mayor's touch still resonated against her skin.

* * *

The next morning, Regina got up early and went about her normal routine of showering and dressing before she made her way downstairs to prepare breakfast for her and her guest. She remembered to bring the box of vials down with her and she set it on the counter top before she moved to the stove.

About fifteen minutes later, breakfast was ready and Regina had set out the plates of food unto dining room table. Surprised that Emma didn't make an appearance yet, she decided to go upstairs and wake the slumbering princess.

"Breakfast is getting cold, Miss Swan," she called out as she entered the guest room, but she was surprised to find the bed empty. "Emma, are you in here?"

Cautiously entering the bathroom in hopes that she wouldn't find the savior naked in the shower like she did the last time, she discovered in confusion that the room was also devoid of the blonde sheriff. Clearly stumped, Regina stood in the middle of the bedroom with a sickening feeling churning in her gut before she heard the shrill of her house phone ringing. Running for the closest telephone, which was located in her bedroom, she quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Mom, you need to get over here now!" Henry whispered harshly into the phone. "Emma is trying to kill us all!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning: Electroconvulsive therapy. (Some is factual, some is for dramatic purposes.) **

* * *

_Your mind tricked you to feel the pain _  
_Of someone close to you leaving the game _o_f life _

_So here it is, another chance _  
_Wide awake, you face the day _  
_Your dream is over... _

_Or has it just begun? _

* * *

_"Mom, you need to get over here now!" Henry whispered harshly into the phone. "Emma is trying to kill us all!"_

The line clicked before the dial tone was heard and Regina stood frozen in shock until her mind registered that her son was danger. The phone slipped through her fingers and clattered to the carpeted ground before she vanished from the room in a plume of purple smoke.

Raised voices drifted through Mary Margaret's apartment door that Regina appeared in front of and she took a moment to collect herself before she carefully turned the knob and pushed the door open. The image displayed before her rocked her to the core and she couldn't prevent the sharp inhaled breath she took at the sight of Emma holding a bloodied knife over her cowering parents.

"Emma," Regina called out in a soft tone as she raised her hands in a surrendering gesture. "Emma, look at me."

The savior's sleep-deprived eyes glowered at the intruder until she realized it was Regina. Her expression altered to one of delighted relief before she released the knife from her grip and ran to the older woman's side. The brunette allowed the crazed sheriff to embrace her as she returned the hug in kind, knowing it was what Emma needed at the moment. Glancing over the savior's shoulder, her eyes locked on Mary Margaret as she held a wounded David in her arms. The scene seemed almost surreal as it reminded Regina of a time long ago, a time when she reveled in the sight of a dying prince in his beloved Snow White's arms, but now; now it just made her sympathetic and almost regretful.

"I have to rid myself of them, Gina, in order to stay with you I have to kill them all, but it's hard…so hard because they seem so real," the savior whimpered out as she clutched tighter to the mayor.

"It's alright, Emma; it's going to be alright. Maybe killing them isn't the best way to go about this," Regina offered as an answer, knowing she had to play her alternate world's personality in hopes of calming the younger woman down.

"I'm tired, Gina…so tired."

"Shh, rest now. It'll all be over soon," Regina cooed as she held the blonde's head against her shoulder in a comforting gesture, the way she used to comfort her son when he had a bad dream. With one arm wound securely around the sheriff's waist, she continued to stroke the blonde tresses with her other hand until she felt Emma's body go slack with unconsciousness.

"I'll be right back," Regina indicated to Mary Margaret before she vanished with the savior in a magical cloud.

"Gina," Emma mumbled out as they reappeared in the guest bedroom at the mansion. "Don't leave me."

"I'll be right back, I promise. Get some rest," the mayor ordered while she tucked the savior into bed.

The blonde yawned before she snuggled down into the sheets and fell fast asleep. Confident that Emma would be out for awhile, Regina teleported back to the apartment.

Snow looked up with pleading eyes as David remained still in her arms. "Heal him...please?"

Regina noted how sickly pale he was as blood continued to pool out of him at a rapid rate. She quickly made her way over to his side and magically healed the deep knife wound to his abdomen. She watched as the wound stitched up and mended together before David blinked open his eyes and smiled.

"Regina," he sighed as Mary Margaret held him close. "Thank you, Regina."

"Where's Henry?" the mayor questioned in concern.

"Right here, Mom," the boy answered as he descended the steps cautiously. "Is Emma gone?"

"Henry," Regina greeted in relief before she held her arms open as an invitation to her son. He wasted no time as he ran to her side and slammed into her. "She's gone, sweetheart. I took her back to the house," she explained while she hugged Henry tightly to her body as she kissed the top of his head.

"Regina, I don't know how to begin to thank you. Emma was completely out of her mind! She grabbed a knife from the kitchen and threatened Henry's life, so we stepped in and tried to reason with her, but then she just stabbed David like it was nothing! Her own father!" Mary Margaret recalled in shock.

"I don't even know how she got out of the house without me hearing her, but I assure you it won't happen again," Regina indicated. "Thank you for protecting Henry."

"Can you fix her?" Henry asked.

"I plan on trying my best. Mr. Gold gave me a potion to give her, but it's only solves part of the problem. I haven't quite figured out how to handle the rest."

"I don't understand; what else do you need to do?" Henry probed.

Regina looked over at David in confusion, but a slight shake of his head indicated that he didn't tell the boy anything. Taking a deep breath, she looked to Henry and explained, "Emma needs to decide where she wants to live for the rest of her life, whether that is here with us or in the other world with the alternate versions of us."

"But she said we're all dead. Why would she want that?"

"Even though she doesn't have you or her parents, she still has happiness with her brother August and…and me."

Henry scrutinized his mother. "But if you're alive and making her happy…what exactly are you to her in the other place?"

Regina felt her cheeks flush pink as she pursed her lips. "I'm…well I'm her wife, Henry."

The boy pondered the information for a moment before he shrugged indifferently. "That's cool. It makes sense anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" David asked as his curiosity was suddenly peaked.

"The savior should save everyone, including the Evil Queen. I used to think Emma and my mother were enemies, since that would be the ultimate hero ending, but then Mom changed and I don't know, it'd make more sense for them to be together as the happily ever after, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose it would," Regina surprisingly agreed to the shock of the other two adults. "Listen, I need to get back to the house. I'll visit you later, if that's alright with your grandparents."

"You're welcome here anytime," David offered before he held up a finger. "As long as the Evil Queen is left behind."

"She will be," the mayor replied. "I'm going to attempt to make Emma understand her choices and hopefully by tonight I can get her to make a decision. I'll let you know of the outcome."

"Regina," Mary Margaret started. "I know you and I have a lot of bad blood between us, but I also know that you wouldn't harm my daughter. David told me what Gold said and as difficult as it may be for me to accept that you are Emma's true love, I know that there is nothing that any of us could do to change that. So please, if you can convince her to stay in this world where she belongs, I promise you that I won't get in the way of whatever may come to pass between you and my daughter."

The mayor was stunned by Mary Margaret's willingness to accept her ties to Emma, but as Snow indicated, there was bad blood between them and Regina wasn't quite ready to pretend they were family, much less friends. The best she could offer the other woman was a curt nod before she pulled away from Henry and vanished in a purple cloud.

* * *

"Emma? Emma, open your eyes. Focus on me, sweetheart."

The sheriff blinked her eyes open and was surprised to find Regina hovering over her in an unfamiliar room. August stood silently beside her wife and she smiled at her brother before she realized she couldn't move her arms or legs. Her brow wrinkled in confusion as she tugged back and forth before the brunette laid a hand on her chest to cease her actions.

"You're strapped down for your own safety," Regina explained before she looked to the doctor on the opposite side of Emma. "Dr. Palmer is concerned with your frequent trips in and out of reality. It was different when you were catatonic and living in one world, but now you're awake in two realities and that's causing you to have severe sleep deprivation, which could lead to permanent damage in your brain."

"What are you talking about? What's going on, Gina?" Emma questioned as her voice wavered in fright.

"Dr. Palmer suggested we start a treatment regimen right away and I agreed to it. It'll help to stop your delusions and hopefully keep you lucid in this reality. Wouldn't you like that? To spend more awake time with me and your brother?"

"Let me go…please," Emma pleaded with her wife as she ignored her questions. "You're scaring me."

The savior could see the doctor and two nurses out of her peripheral vision, but she couldn't tell what they were doing. Regina's eyes swam with tears as the blonde struggled once again against the bindings.

"I'm sorry Emma, I really am, but this is for the best. I love you," Regina murmured as she briefly kissed her wife's forehead.

A nurse indicated to the brunette that they had to leave and Emma watched as her loved ones were escorted out of the room before her eyes flashed to the doctor that towered above her.

"Emma, I'm going to be honest with you. Most of the time we give patients a sedative before we do this procedure, but due to your recent events, you've exceeded your limit; anymore and we could risk putting you into a coma. Now, we've already injected a muscle relaxer, but you're going to have to tough this one out on your own and for that I am sorry, but it's the best chance we have to keep you somewhat stabilized," Dr. Palmer explained before he placed something cool against her temples.

"I don't understand? What are you going to do to me?"

"Have you ever heard of Electroconvulsive therapy or ECT, more commonly known as electroshock?"

The blonde's eyes widened and her breath hitched. "No, please don't do this!"

"I'm sorry Emma, but your wife has power of attorney and she signed off on it," Dr. Palmer stated before he pried the blonde's jaw open and stuck in a rubber mouthpiece. "Try not to think of the horrors you might have heard about ECT. It's actually come a long way and I'm certain that after two treatments a week for the next month, you'll be able to think more clearly and sleep better, without flipping between your two worlds of reality."

Tears leaked out from the corners of her eyes as she felt the prongs being placed against her temples. The sound of the machine whining up and the clicking of a dial being turned had Emma pleading through muffled sobs.

"I promise we'll use the sedative on the next round. Now, you're going to feel extreme pain, but I promise you it'll be brief. You should pass out when the seizure starts," Dr. Palmer reassured her before he nodded to a nurse to flip the switch.

A muffled scream tore from her throat as the electricity raced through her body in penetrating torrents. Her limbs contorted angrily against the restraints as her taunt muscles recoiled in pain. Within seconds, her body started to shake violently from the induced seizure and she mercifully blacked out.

"Emma! Come back to me!"

Her eyes snapped open in an instant before she drew in a lungful of air. Panic overwhelmed her entire being as she tore herself away from the woman beside her and flew to the corner of the room. Regina sat in stunned silence for a moment at the sheriff's actions before she got up and cautiously approached the savior's balled up form. She noticed that there was a circular red blotch on the younger woman's temple that she swore wasn't there a moment ago.

"Look at me, Miss Swan," Regina demanded as she watched the other woman shiver uncontrollably.

"N-n-no! You had me shocked! I c-c-can't trust you!" Emma stuttered out as sweat broke out along her hairline. "S-stay away f-f-from me!"

The mayor was speechless at the blonde's confession before she realized in disbelief that the marks on Emma's temples were from the other world. Biting back on the need to comfort the distraught woman, Regina managed to keep her cool as she got a little closer and softly murmured, "That wasn't me, Emma; that was your wife. You're back in Storybrooke."

Regina's words didn't have the desired effect she had hoped they would so she resorted to a different approach. Risking bodily injury, the mayor reached out and grabbed the blonde by the upper arms before she hauled up to her feet. Emma struggled at first against the brunette's grip, but she finally succumbed to the older woman and relaxed as she allowed Regina to take her hand and guide her down the stairs, leading the sheriff into the dining room.

"Stay here," the brunette ordered as she seated Emma at the dining room table.

She propped the swinging door open that led to the kitchen before she entered it and walked to the stove. Turning on the tea kettle, Regina went to work on making the concoction, putting two drops of each vial into a mug before sticking a teabag into it. She kept a watchful eye on the blonde in the other room, but Emma remained motionless in the chair.

The mayor couldn't help but feel like she was about to go into battle against her doppelganger as her eyes returned to the circular mark on the sheriff's temple. The idea that her alter ego had willingly allowed electric shock therapy made her realize that the other Regina was becoming more desperate to keep Emma alive in the other world, and that irked her to no end. For reasons unknown or reasons that she refused to believe, Regina knew she would be devastated if Emma decided to choose the other life.

The whistling of the tea kettle shook her from her reverie and she quickly poured the hot liquid into the prepared mug before she added a little milk and honey to sweeten it. Carrying the remedy carefully over to Emma's side, Regina placed it down in front of her before she sat beside the mute savior.

"I need you to listen to me and listen carefully," Regina started as she placed her hand upon Emma's arm. "Your symptoms are getting worse. This cup of tea will cure you of the delusions you are suffering from because of Cruella's spear and allow you the freedom to think with a rational mind, but there is a catch."

"There's always a catch," Emma mumbled in response without looking at the woman beside her.

Regina was relieved that the sheriff was actually paying attention before she explained, "You need to pick what reality you want to permanently reside in. Once you have made that decision, you need to seal it with a kiss."

Bloodshot eyes glanced at the mayor. "You're telling me that I can make a choice in what world I want to remain in?"

"Yes."

Emma pondered this for a moment before she asked, "What would happen to me, if I chose the other life?"

"You would remain in a catatonic state for the rest of your existence," Regina answered.

"Is that what would happen to me in the other world if I were to decide to stay here? Would I return to what I was before I woke up?"

"The other world is a delusion of your mind, so I would assume everything would disappear. However, if you want to believe that the other world is just as real as this one, then yes; I would assume you would suffer the same dilemma in that world as well."

"Is David okay?" she asked in a small voice.

"He's fine; I healed him," Regina stated.

"I don't know what to believe anymore," the younger woman confessed as she eyed the mug wearily. "Once I drink this, how long will I have to make a decision?"

"Twenty-four hours."

The sheriff glanced at the brunette with a suspicious glare. "Are you the person I have to kiss in order to seal the deal?"

"Yes," the mayor confessed. "Whether it is me in this reality or your wife in the other reality."

"Why you?"

"Do you really want to know that answer?" Regina challenged.

"I do."

The brunette sighed heavily before she muttered, "Apparently, you are my true love."

Laughter suddenly bubbled out of the other woman and Regina scoffed in frustration before she leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Of course you would find that funny," the mayor retorted.

"I'm not laughing because of the craziness of it, I'm laughing because it was the only answer I could come up with as to why you are my wife in the other world," Emma explained. "Of all people, it just made no sense that you would be my spouse...unless there was an underlying reason. True love; the only magic powerful enough to transcend realms."

Regina opened and closed her mouth a few times as she struggled with the unexpected emotions that Emma had conjured up. She finally cleared her throat before she murmured, "When you were in the Enchanted Forest, Dr. Whale brought my dead fiancé back to life, but he wasn't the same. The heart that Whale used turned Daniel into this horrible creature. He ended up attacking Dr. Whale and he almost killed Henry."

"Why am I just hearing about this now?" Emma questioned in slight anger.

"I'm sorry, did you want me to tell you this at Granny's when everyone was a breath away from stabbing me in the back, or when you were in the process of trying to murder your parents?"

Emma scoffed before she grumbled, "Continue, please."

"Daniel managed to fight through the darkness and for a few precious moments, I had my fiancé back. I told him I loved him and to stay with me, but he told me to let him go and to love again." Regina dropped her gaze to stare at the table before she continued, "At the time I didn't understand why he would say that to me, but now I think he might have known all along that he wasn't in fact my true love."

Emma stared at the brunette with widened eyes as she tried to find the right words to say, but nothing would come out. Regina took the blonde's silence as indication that she didn't reciprocate the blossoming affection that the mayor herself felt, so she roughly pushed the mug towards the sheriff and snapped, "Drink the tea and decide," before she abruptly stood up and left the room.

Confused by Regina's words and the conflicting feelings about which reality she should choose, Emma continued to sit there for what could've been hours, staring at the tea cup and wishing it would give her the answer as to what path to take. Finally, she came to the conclusion that she should just follow her heart.

Quickly downing the now-cold tea until it was gone, Emma took the empty cup to the kitchen and placed it in the dishwasher. She felt the magical tea start to work as both realities broke apart in her mind as separate entities, allowing her to look rationally at both worlds in order to make the right choice. She realized her decision to follow her heart was still the right path to take.

The blonde ignored the need to go look for Regina as she wordlessly made her way up to her bedroom. Closing the door, she rested the back of her head against it as she tried to quell the tears that threatened to spill. Her decision had been made, but now she had the difficult task of letting go.

It was time to say goodbye.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Well folks, this is it; last chapter! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have two other stories I'm working on, but I've been asked about writing the alternate world's story about Chef Regina and Officer Emma before she landed in the mental ward. If you'd be interested in reading about them, let me know. Send me your input! If I get enough inquiries, I'll write it.  
**

**Happy reading :)**

* * *

"Regina?" she managed to croak out when she found herself in her hospital room bed. "Gina?"

Pressure on the mattress beside her had her turn to face the woman in question.

"I'm here, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Groggy," she answered before she forced her body into a sitting position. "You had me shocked."

"I'm so sorry," Regina sobbed out as her eyes brimmed with tears. "Dr. Palmer and the psychiatrists had me so convinced that it would help. They told me that being fully alert in both realities was bad and I just…I had to try something, anything."

Emma reached out and cupped the brunette's face. "It's okay, Gina. I understand why you did it and I forgive you."

"You do?" she questioned in a choked cry.

"I do," the blonde reiterated before she looked around the room. "Where's August?"

"He had to go, but he will be back tomorrow," Regina answered before she placed her hands on top of her wife's. " Are you in pain? Is there anything I can get for you?"

Moisture welled up in Emma's eyes as she continued to hold the brunette's face with Regina's hands covering hers.

"I want you to know that I love you, Gina. You helped me discover a truth I didn't even know existed," the blonde confessed before she caressed her wife's cheek. "Live your life to its fullest and please, promise me you won't let me hold you back."

Confusion etched Regina's features as she dropped her hands. "What are you talking about?"

"It's time, Gina. Like you said, I can't keep living in two realities and the time has come for me to choose," Emma indicated with a soft smile. "And I've made my choice."

"Emma…"

"Shh, don't make this harder than it has to be," the blonde lightly ordered. "Tell August I love him and that he is the best big brother any girl could ask for."

"No!" the brunette cried out as she wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde. "I love you, Emma! Please, stay with me. You promised! You promised!"

"Love again, Gina," Emma stated as she held the brunette tightly against her for a few moments before she closed her eyes and let her mind drift back to the other realm.

Feeling the immediate shift in the environment, her eyes popped open and she clambered out of bed before she ran down the steps in search of the mayor.

Regina was curled up on the sofa in the study with a glass of scotch in her hands. Moisture brimmed along her eyes as she tried to come to terms with losing Emma forever. The thought of the savior choosing to stay seemed improbable and she was already mourning the loss of her arrogant attitude and challenging demeanor, but more than any of that, she was grieving over the loss of what could've been.

So when Emma came bursting through the study door, the brunette was thrown completely off guard as the tumbler slipped from her grip and crashed to the ground, spilling amber liquid across her pristine floor; luckily the glass remained in tact. Regina quickly stood from the couch and faced the blonde with a mixture of annoyance and relief.

"I've made my decision," Emma announced as she slowly approached the other woman. "It wasn't easy, but it's the right choice."

"You're leaving," Regina assumed.

"On the contrary," the savior corrected as she stepped into the brunette's personal space. "I'm staying."

Before Regina had the option to protest, Emma quickly pressed her lips against the mayor's, sealing the deal with a kiss. The brunette resisted for a moment until her body betrayed her as she fed into the kiss with yearning desire. Her fingers dug into unkempt golden curls where they knotted themselves as they held Emma in place while she deepened the kiss. A magical shockwave burst out from their connected lips and they broke apart in surprise. Dark eyes locked on the woman before her as she tried to understand how it all came down to that single moment of clarity that they were in fact true lovers.

"I guess that proves it then," Regina muttered under her breath. "There is no denying that that was true love's kiss."

"No denying it at all," Emma murmured in agreement as she watched the woman before her with a cheesy grin. "It worked, Regina. The other world and the feelings along with it are all gone."

"Good; that's good," the brunette replied as she withdrew herself from the blonde. "I guess Gold's antidote worked after all."

"You know as well as I do that the enhanced tea had nothing to do with it. The kiss however…," Emma trailed off knowing she didn't need to say any more.

"Yes, well I'm glad you're feeling better," the mayor stated in a crisp tone before she moved to clean up the spilled drink.

The younger woman stood in confused shock as Regina purposely brushed off their intimate exchange as if it was a business transaction.

"That's it? That's all you have to say?" the blonde retorted as she tried to keep her anger in check.

The dark-haired woman stood up with the glass tumbler and set it on the cocktail tray before she turned to the savior with a cold glare.

"Did you expect something more from me?"

"No! You don't get to push me away just because you have commitment issues! I didn't just choose this world so you could give me the cold shoulder."

Regina gave a calculated laugh before she placed her hands on her hips and sneered, "Did you expect me to just fall into your arms and become your _wife_?"

"No."

The brunette took a menacing step forward. "Did you think I would take you upstairs and let you have your way with me?"

"Christ Regina, no!"

"Then what exactly is it that you want from me, Miss Swan?!"

"A chance!" Emma snapped in reply as she shortened the space between them. "Give me a goddamn chance to prove to you that this could work. Isn't that what true love is all about? Having a chance at happiness?"

"I had my chance at happiness, but your mother stole it from me," Regina growled.

"And you said Daniel told you to love again," Emma countered before she narrowed her eyes. "Shouldn't you honor your dead fiancé's wishes?!"

"How dare you!" the brunette raged before she slammed her palms against Emma's chest, knocking her backwards a couple of steps.

"Prove me wrong then! What are you afraid of?" the savior challenged.

"Everything!" Regina shouted back as hot tears trailed down her face before her walls started to crumble. "I'm afraid of finding that happiness with you and our son only to lose it all over again and I can't do that! I can't keep losing the people I love!"

"Isn't it better to love and be loved than to never love at all?" Emma countered before she brazenly reached out and cupped the brunette's face. "I just gave up happiness with my imaginary but very realistic wife so that I could come back here and have a chance with you, the real you, and not my made up version of you."

"That is because you're an idiot, Miss Swan," the brunette quipped before she leaned into Emma's touch and surrendered. "Nothing about this will be easy."

"I know," Emma replied as she gently eased the brunette closer.

"People still consider me the Evil Queen."

"I know."

"Your parents still hate me, and justly so."

"I know."

"I still despise you."

"I know," Emma repeated once more before she pulled the mayor against her and held her close.

"But I don't hate you…not anymore."

"That's good to know," the blonde murmured as she felt the brunette relax into the embrace and return it. "We'll take this as slow as we need to, but you have to admit that there is a reason for us to be true lovers. Somehow, you and I were always meant to be the final piece of this complicated, fairytale puzzle."

"I know," Regina breathed out as she tightened her hold a little more.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Regina. We lost her," Dr. Palmer stated as he shined his pen light across unresponsive eyes.

The brunette burst into tears as she clung to August while they looked upon Emma's catatonic form. Blue-green orbs stared blankly out, never to refocus again.

_The End_


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